OLYMPIA, Wash. — On Monday, tribal leaders led a movement aimed at taking on the opioid epidemic. State Democratic Rep. Debra Lekanoff called on the state government to join tribal leads in the fight.
"We aim to instill hope, raise awareness and response to the sense of urgency that we're hearing from family members tribes all of our communities, survivors and communities around us who are facing this crisis in our state," Lekanoff said.
Fentanyl has only renewed that sense of urgency. As a former chairman of the Makah Tribe, Nate Tyler has seen history repeat itself.
"It wasn't fentanyl way back then, it was different drug of choice that our communities were seeing," Tyler said.
Tyler said Monday he's hopeful that the never-ending work of helping those with substance abuse disorder is finally making moves.
"We're down river pulling people out," Tyler said. "At some point you have to go up river and see why they're falling in."
That work of saving lives is especially important for Tyler, who said his son is currently seeking treatment. Tyler added that his grandson is constantly looking for his father.
"He comes up to me and goes, papa, when's my daddy coming back?" Tyler said, his eyes tearing up,. "You know me, that caught me off guard. You know? He just wants his dad back and I didn't know how to answer him. He said I just want him back before I turn 10."
Tyler said a lot of the tribal leaders are staying strong not just for their loved ones, but for everyone in recovery.
"This is by far worse than everything combined that we've ever seen, so we have to deal with it," Tyler said.
Tyler added that his son is two months into his recovery journey and is doing well. As for the legislature, there are at least four bills on the docket that will help leaders from all jurisdictions find a holistic approach to recovery healthcare.