A needle exchange vending machine sits outside the Broadway Family Medicine Clinic. Credit: Courtesy

Black, Indigenous lives at greater risk of opioid overdose here

Minnesota is grappling with stark racial disparities in opioid overdose deaths. Indigenous Minnesotans are 15 times more likely to die from opioid overdoses than white Minnesotans, and Black Minnesotans face a death rate from fatal opioid overdoses three times higher than that of their white counterparts. 

These statistics paint a troubling picture of the opioid epidemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color, underscoring the need for a reevaluation of how addiction and overdose deaths are addressed in health care.

Dr. Robert Levy, board certified in addiction treatment, has worked in North Minneapolis his whole professional life. Credit: Courtesy

Dr. Robert Levy, an MD (Doctor of Medicine) certified in addiction medicine and family medicine at the University of Minnesota, has seen these disparities firsthand in his clinical work. Dr. Levy emphasized the urgent need for more equitable health care responses to the crisis. 

“The prevalence of addiction is about the same across all races,” Dr. Levy said. “It doesn’t differ significantly from Iran to China to Russia to the United States, but the severity of the illness is affected by social factors.

“In Minnesota, we are one of the worst states when it comes to racial disparity in overdose deaths from opioids,” Dr. Levy said. “This makes Minnesota one of the worst in terms of racial disparity.”

Dr. Levy, who has spent much of his career practicing in North Minneapolis, shared the personal toll these disparities have taken. “It’s been my absolute privilege to work in the Black community in North Minneapolis, and I’m devastated by these numbers,” he said. “I’ve been working my whole medical career to try to improve them, and they’re only getting worse.” 

He highlighted the critical role of social determinants of health, such as access to healthy food, timely medical care, and safe housing, in contributing to these disparities. “It’s the same reason why Covid-19 deaths were disproportionately high among African Americans in Minnesota. These issues don’t exist in isolation,” Dr. Levy explained.

From inside the U of M’s Broadway Clinic Credit: Courtesy

Conversations about racial disparities in opioid treatment aren’t new, including in the American Medical Association podcast “Reframing the Opioid Epidemic: Anti-Racist Praxis, Racial Health Inequities, and Harm Reduction.” During the podcast, Dr. Jessica Isom, a psychiatry clinical instructor at the Yale School of Medicine and a racial health equity advocate, highlighted the critical role of anti-racist praxis in addressing the opioid crisis. 

Dr. Isom spoke candidly about the historical roots of racial disparities in drug policy and addiction treatment. “Policies like the Harrison Narcotics Act in the 1930s, and later, the War on Drugs and the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, were partially shaped by racial stereotypes,” Dr. Isom said. 

“There was a deliberate association of racially minoritized groups with unfavorable characteristics — such as the threat to white women and children — that led to punitive policies targeting these communities. These policies continue to influence how we view and treat addiction today.”

Outside of the UofM’s Broadway Family Medicine Clinic Credit: Courtesy

She emphasized that despite these targeted policies, drug use rates are remarkably similar across racial and ethnic groups, highlighting the racial bias in how the opioid epidemic has been handled. “The drug use itself doesn’t discriminate, but our policies do,” Dr. Isom said. 

“That’s why we need to reframe the way we think about addiction and the communities it affects. We must confront the historical and ongoing impact of these racialized policies if we are to make meaningful progress.”

Dr. Ayana Jordan, assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, also spoke on the podcast about the importance of harm reduction strategies in combating the opioid epidemic. “Harm reduction meets people where they are,” Dr. Jordan said. “It’s about offering non-judgmental care that prioritizes saving lives, particularly for communities like Black and Indigenous populations who face not just addiction but systemic stigma and fear of seeking help.”

For those in Minnesota seeking harm reduction and opioid addiction services, a variety of community-based resources are available. Services include syringe access programs, health screenings, harm reduction supplies, and support for opioid use disorder. 

Find a full calendar of available services across the state at “Syringe Services Program Network Calendar. For example, the Twin Cities Recovery Project also has NA Meetings on Sundays, 10:30 am – noon, at 3400 East Lake Street, Suite 100, Minneapolis.

Clint Combs welcomes reader responses at ccombs@spokesman-recorder.com.

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