Sanford Health’s Bemidji program joins a few other distinct 24 programs nationwide. It’s certified as a Wellbriety Certified Treatment Center, which makes it a potential first option for Native patients looking for addiction treatment in Minnesota.
The certification comes from White Bison and requires trained counselors in a culturally based curriculum. They provide access to a Native American elder who conducts ceremonies and traditional practices such as pipe ceremony and sweat lodge into care.
Given that Sanford Health is close to the White Earth Nation, Red Lake Nation and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, that specificity matters.
The Bemidji Program
Wellbriety begins in a circle with a smudging ceremony in which sage and other traditional medicines are burned. Participants are covered with smoke from head to toe as a way to cleanse and purify the individual. After the ceremony come teachings from elders that functions like a traditional 12-step program.
The program still includes licensed alcohol and drug counseling. Counselors provide individual and group counseling and community outreach-based peer recovery services. In other words, the cultural practices supplement clinical care.
Joseph Beaudreau is an Anishinaabe peer support specialist and enrolled member of the White Earth Nation. He noted that Wellbriety differs from a standard meeting because it’s more culturally specific in its spirituality. Wellbriety is holistic well-being involving mind, body and soul.
Culture Changes Access
Addiction treatment in Minnesota has to reach people who may have good reason to distrust health systems. Tribes own and operate their own health care facilities. Navigating those systems can be complicated for all.
Rebekah Fineday is a citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Sanford’s Native American community advocate in Bemidji. She builds and sometimes repairs relationships with three reservations. Fineday relays what Sanford can help with and brings back what patients need. That bridge builds trust and encourages repeat visits for a long recovery.
Native families know that elder approval and ceremonies can indicate that a program embraces their identities. The same program also offers non-natives a similar track that ties substance use with spirit and community.
Understanding Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol addiction develops when repeated use changes tolerance, reward and stress response. Victims might have strong cravings or relapse despite relationship or health problems and giving up activities that used to matter.
Alcohol withdrawal is sometimes life-threatening, especially for folks with heavy daily use or medical complications. That’s one reason plans should be honest about detox before rehab or outpatient care starts. Not everyone needs the same level of care, but guessing wrong with alcohol is costly.
Treatment in The North Star State & Beyond
If you’re comparing drug rehabs consider these questions:
- Does the program offer licensed counseling and peer support?
- Can it coordinate with tribal health services?
- Does it address opioids or co-occurring mental health conditions?
- Are elders, spiritual practices or language access available?
The process is made easier with our treatment listings. Browse our online directory to locate treatment centers anywhere in the county. Listings are filtered by level of care and location.
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