The Hidden Opioid Crisis in Native American Communities | Linda Oxendine, Part 1The Hidden Opioid Crisis in Native American Communities | Linda Oxendine, Part 1
Addiction Talk
Lumbee Tribal Member Linda Oxendine reflects on how CORE North Carolina uncovered a hidden opioid crisis in Robeson County during Covid-19 and began a holistic, culturally rooted response. She discusses overdose data, historical trauma, economic distress, and the message that addiction is a treatable disorder.
13:53•21 Aug 2026
The Hidden Opioid Crisis in Lumbee Country: Linda Oxendine on Treatable Addiction
Episode Overview
- CORE North Carolina identified rising overdose deaths during Covid-19 through close work with local health departments and partners.
- Native American residents in Robeson County, particularly Lumbee people, were overdosing at more than twice the rate of other racial groups.
- The response included extensive training, collaboration with public health, law enforcement, and epidemiologists, and access to state-level data and guidance.
- Historical trauma, loss of language and cultural identity, poverty, and unstable employment are highlighted as key drivers behind opioid misuse in the community.
- A holistic, culturally informed approach is emphasised, treating addiction as a disorder that is treatable rather than a moral failing.
“They thought that they were in control of the drug, that they were just taking the drug because the drug made them feel good. But the truth of the matter is they're experiencing an addiction, and that disorder is treatable.”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This conversation with Lumbee Tribal Member Linda Oxendine takes you right into Robeson County, North Carolina, where a quiet but deadly opioid crisis emerged during Covid-19. Working with CORE North Carolina on drive-through Covid testing and vaccine education, Linda and her team started hearing something disturbing from local partners: overdose deaths were climbing, yet hardly anyone was talking about it publicly.
With little data being shared and “no numbers coming across the news”, she reached out to the local Department of Public Health, triggering an eight-hour training and a multi-agency response involving epidemiologists, law enforcement, and state resources. You’ll hear how Native American residents, particularly Lumbee people, were overdosing at more than twice the rate of other racial groups in the county.
Linda explains that historical trauma, loss of language and cultural identity, economic hardship, and limited education all feed into community pain. She points to ongoing issues like land loss, sharecropping, the collapse of textile jobs, and reliance on unstable construction work as part of the wider picture. Linda also talks about how prescription opioids, initially marketed as “not addictive”, contributed to the crisis and led to major settlements with pharmaceutical companies.
In response, CORE adopted a holistic model rooted in Native approaches to health: you don’t just treat high blood pressure, you look at diet and lifestyle; you don’t just treat overdose numbers, you look at trauma, poverty, and trust.
One of her most striking points is simple and hopeful: “They thought that they were in control of the drug… but the truth of the matter is they’re experiencing an addiction, and that disorder is treatable.” If you’re curious how community-led, culturally aware work can start to turn the tide, this conversation raises powerful questions and offers grounded, real-world experience. What might a holistic approach look like where you live?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.