Greetings,

I am Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division and I’d like to welcome you to Operation Engage!

As we all know, there are far too many non-fatal and fatal drug overdoses affecting our communities, and sadly, these numbers are increasing. In response, DEA has moved toward community-level collaborative efforts to help reduce these numbers through education and awareness, using our wide range of resources.

Through Operation Engage, our division will focus on Chippewa County Michigan, with an emphasis on working with the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indian. This effort will primarily focus on targeting the threat of opioid and stimulant drugs. Other components of Operation Engage include:

• Stakeholder/Community Gatherings: To share the latest information about drug trends, drug threats, and other related pertinent information.
• The DEA’s Citizens Academy: DEA recognizes the importance of forging strong alliances with local communities and maintaining collaborative relationships with community leaders. The DEA’s Citizens Academy offers participants the opportunity to understand the world of federal drug law enforcement and the important role the DEA and the community together, play in combating drug trafficking, drug misuse, and related violence.
• Youth Engagement: Through programs like the DEA Educational Foundation Youth Dance Program and in collaboration with CADCA and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, children of all ages will be able to actively participate in age-appropriate activities, designed for them to learn and gain the most knowledge about the dangers of drugs in a fun way.
• Community Outreach Programs: DEA, along with stakeholder involvement, will concentrate efforts in the communities most affected by opioid misuse. In those targeted communities, the Detroit Field Division will participate in facilitating prevention strategies to include, but not limited to, drug prevention training and technical assistance for communities, coalition outreach, and prescription drug take back events to name a few.

These are only a few of the many resources and opportunities we have available to share with our communities.

I invite you, and your families, to explore our Operation Engage webpage to learn about the many resources we have available. Learning as a family, early on, is the first step in avoiding drug experimentation, drug misuse, drug addiction, and all related behaviors that are plaguing our communities.

Always at your service,
SAC Orville O. Greene

Local organizations that provide services to the public regarding addiction, community empowerment, drug education and prevention, drug take back programs, recovery, and overall health and wellness. 

Prevention Works – www.prevention-works.org
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (press 1)

Looking for prevention resources specifically for young people? Go to the teen-focused site www.justthinktwice.com/. Here, they'll be able to get facts about drug use and learn ways to live a drug-free life.

Prevention Works – www.prevention-works.org

Lions Club – www.lionsclubs.org
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi -- https://nhbp-nsn.gov/
Kalamazoo Parks & Recreation – www.kzooparks.org

Elks Drug Awareness Program -- www.elks.org

Elks Drug Awareness Program is partnering with the DEA to release Season 2 of Awkward Conversations, in which "Full House" star Jodie Sweetin speaks with celebrity parents and guest experts to help parents learn how to empower their kids with the tools needed to stay safe, drug-free, and make smart decisions. New episodes will be posted each week through the end of 2022 and can be accessed here.

Local officials have identified opioids (including prescription painkillers, fentanyl, and heroin) and stimulants (prescription stimulants and methamphetamine) as the area's top drug threats.

Quick Facts

• 78% of Michigan drug overdose deaths in 2018 involved at least one opioid.
• Drug overdose death rates among Michigan American Indian population* is significantly higher than within the overall population of Michigan, and higher than the overall population of the United States.
• The highest rates of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) in the U.S. are reported among Native American and Alaska Native individuals**.

*Inter-tribal Council of Michigan, Inc.
**Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project
 

Local Prevention Resources

Local organizations that provide services to the public regarding addiction, community empowerment, drug education and prevention, drug take back programs, recovery, and overall health and wellness. 

Families Against Narcotics of Chippewa County 
Bay Mills Substance Abuse Program 
Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. Behavioral Health Division (TOTR Initiative)
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (press 1) 
 

Youth Resources

Looking for prevention resources specifically for young people? Go to the teen-focused site www.justthinktwice.com/. Here, they'll be able to get facts about drug use and learn ways to live a drug-free life.
 

Partners

Chippewa County Communities That Care, Phone: (906) 635-3636
Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Behavioral Health Division, Phone: (906) 248-3204
Bay Mills Behavioral Health Department, Phone: (906) 248-3204
Chippewa County Health Department, Phone: (906) 635-1566
Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. Behavioral Health Division (TOP Initiative)
Prevention Works, Phone: (269) 388-4200

Go to FindTreatment.gov to search for general drug treatment facilities in your area. On this site, you can find facilities that offer various payment options (including free and no-cost care), youth treatment facilities, special programs for Veterans, plus more.

Otherwise, enter your zipcode below to find substance abuse treatment facilities in your area.  

Date: April 20, 2023

Time: TBA

Where: Millwood Elementary School, 3400 Lovers Lane, Kalamazoo, MI 49001

Feat. DEA Educational Foundation Youth Basketball Program

For more information, please contact Wendie Jackson at Wendie.L.Jackson@dea.gov.