Native American leaders gather for State of the Tribes address

WISCONSIN (WEAU) - Native American leaders from across the state gathered Tuesday for the State of the Tribes address.

The Chairman of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community delivered the address and spoke on many key issues effecting Wisconsin’s 11 Native Tribes.

Some of these include the opioid epidemic, gambling not sponsored by the Tribes, and a lack of health care options on Tribal lands.

“My tribe is located 45 minutes from any emergency care setting. With that being said, there’s a large burden put on Tribes to act as emergency caregivers to stabilize patients until we can get them to a facility,” Robert Van Zile, Sokaogon Chippewa Community Chairman, said.

The Chairman also spoke on environmental issues in Wis. effecting tribes, including water pollution from both mercury and PFAS chemicals.

Copyright 2023 WEAU. All rights reserved.