Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
We, the Anishinabeg, the people of Odaawaa-Zaaga'iganiing, the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe, will sustain our heritage, preserving our past, strengthening our present, and embracing our future. We will defend our inherent sovereign rights and safeguard Mother Earth. We will provide for the educational, health, social welfare, and economic stability of the present and future generations.
News &
Information of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe
LCO Behavioral Health Services
13447 W County Road B Hayward, WI 54843
PHONE: 715 558 7883
DIRECTOR: Tammy Bergum, PhD
The Behavioral Health Department helps in meeting the needs mental health and substance misuse of the LCO community.
We have an expansive department with a variety of specializations and services. We offer individual, family, couple and group counseling services based on the needs of our clients.
We have also spent an enormous amount of time helping individuals and families who are struggling with addiction and recovery. We can coordinate treatment options and aftercare with programs that specialize in addiction with a strong cultural component. Please call Betty Dust 715 558 7883, bdust@lcohc.com, to set up an apt. with one of our highly qualified counselors.
MENTAL HEALTH
Thomas Jordan, LMFT; Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Paul Workman, LPC-IT; Licensed Professional Counselor In-Training
Ali Bice, LPC-IT; Licensed Professional Counselor In-Training
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Thomas Hird, CSAC; Certified Substance Abuse Counselor
Jan Reker, CSAC; Certified Substance Abuse Counselor
Jennifer Petit, SAC-IT; Substance Abuse Counselor In–Training
Prevention
PFS Grant
Gina Krizan
The purpose of the PFS program is to address two prevention priorities: (1) underage drinking among youth ages 12-20 and (2) prescription drug misuse and abuse among youth ages 12-25. The goals of the program are to prevent and reduce underage drinking, prevent and reduce prescription drug and illicit opioid misuse and abuse, and promote emotional health and wellness in order to prevent or delay the onset of/complications from substance abuse and mental illness. By the end of the grant, the aim is to have a reduction in underage drinking and prescription drug misuse/abuse, an increase in perception of harm/risk related to UAD and prescription drug misuse/abuse, and an increase in the promotion of emotional health/wellness. Guided by the premise “culture is prevention”, the program supports the use of culturally-appropriate prevention strategies. Ultimately, the hope is that the PFS Program increases the capacity to create more effective prevention programing, thus enhancing each community’s ability to sustain prevention activities which are data driven and culturally appropriate.
Native Connections Grant
Alicia Cross
Native Connections is a five-year grant program that helps American Indian and Alaska Native communities identify and address the behavioral health needs of Native youth. Specifically, the program supports grantees in: reducing suicidal behavior and substance use and misuse among Native youth up to age 24, easing the impacts of substance use, mental illness, and trauma in tribal communities, supporting youth as they transition into adulthood. With LCO’s grant we are instilling our culture and traditional activities with our youth to reduce the stigma of drugs and alcohol in our community. We currently have over 130 tribal members trained in ASIST which is a curriculum that teaches one what to do in a situation with a suicidal individual. We plan on training our Boys & Girls Club youth in SafeTalk which will also help students identify signs of suicide and what to do in that situation.
State Targeted Response Grant
Jennifer Petit
The STR grant was awarded to Wisconsin in 2017 to address the opioid crisis. The grant focuses on reducing the nonmedical/ unauthorized availability of and access to prescription opioids as well as preventing opioid-related overdose deaths. The Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) partnered with the Wisconsin Youth Regional Prevention Centers to make these grant funds available to Wisconsin Coalitions. The LCO (Giwii Mino Mimaadizimin) Coalition is one of 64 coalitions in Wisconsin that received the funds. The STR grant uses a five-pronged strategy to address the opioid crisis. The grant helps cover the costs of educational community events, permanent drug drop box placement, drug deactivation bags and/or lock boxes to distribute to community members, drug take back events as well as the dose of reality campaign and naloxone trainings.
Mental Health Block Grant
This grant from the State of Wisconsin has been used to introduce LCO Ojibwe school students to animal assisted therapeutic services. This specifically has been with the use of Equine (horse) therapies. This program is hoping to grow in the summer of 2019 to include more children who could benefit from this therapeutic modality.
Prevention Coalition Grant
This grant allows for very specific prevention activities within the community. For 2019 the specific target population includes Adult Binge Drinking and Medicated Assisted Therapy for Opiates.
Targeted Opioid Response Grant
Dottie Crust
I've been hired at the LCO Health Center as the Tribal Opioid Response grant Director or coordinator (TOR) funded under a SAMSHA grant. I am an LCO tribal member and Al Trepania was my dad. I’ve been in recovery myself from alcohol and drugs for 18+ years. I earned my Associates degree in Substance Use Disorder Counseling and Human Services in 2003 at the LCO College. I started at the LCO Health Center as a counselor in training in 2003 and was transferred to the LCO Halfway House as director and counselor for about 10 years. I worked for Sawyer County as a counselor and prevention specialist in training for a year and then for Red Cliff Community Health Center for about five months until I came back to LCO on January 9, 2017. I will be working primarily on the TOR grant for the LCO Health Center, Behavioral Health at the Bizhiki Wellness Center and am looking forward to working on improving services for our community during this time of opioid addiction crisis. I will still continue with limited services of one day per week with the LCO CCS program. I hold Wisconsin licensure as a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor and as a Prevention Specialist in Training. I currently am the Chairperson for the LCO Drug Task Force, board member of the Northwood’s Coalition prevention initiative out of Marshfield Clinic that LCO is a member of, LCO College advisory board for the Substance Use Disorder program, and BZZDD board.
The TOR grant and the Drug Task Force have been identifying where services have been overwhelmed, understaffed, or lacking coordination of care and why our Tribal Members are not seeking out services within our community and trying to find answers to improve our services to our community members and promote wellness in our community. Please feel free to contact the Bizhiki Wellness Center and talk to myself, Tammy Bergum Administrator of Behavioral Health and LCO Comprehensive Community Support Program (CCS), or Marie Basty, Director of LCO CCS program. This is Lac Courte Oreilles Community Health Center and we want to have every tribal member feel they belong and are welcomed here for services.