Pokagon Band Health Services and the C.A.S.S Coalition host Southwest Michigan Opioid Summit Healthcare Providers Breakfast

Pokagon Band Health Services and the C.A.S.S. Coalition are pleased to announce a Southwest Michigan Opioid Summit Healthcare Providers Breakfast on Thursday, May 21, from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern. The event will take place at the Family Activity Center at Pokagon Band Health Services located at 58620 Sink Road in Dowagiac and featured speakers will include Gerald Morris Jr., M.D., FAAFP, Medical Director for the Pokagon Band, and Daun Bieda, LPC, LMHC, CADC, CADACII, Behavioral Health Manager for the Pokagon Band.

Dr. Morris and Ms. Bieda will share insights into Pokagon Health Services’ primary care–centered approach to treating opioid use disorder, including strategies for building and sustaining this model through medication management, collaborative care, and community engagement. They will also discuss successes and challenges in overcoming barriers to care.

The breakfast is provided through Cass County and Pokagon Opioid Settlement Funds. Seating is limited and registration is required via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/southwest-michigan-opioid-summit-healthcare-providers-breakfast-tickets-1450637579049?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.

In addition to serving as Medical Director for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana, Dr. Morris also serves as faculty for the Indiana University School of Medicine –South Bend and recently transitioned to a PRN teaching role with the Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. He remains active on numerous boards and was recently appointed to the Michigan Chronic Disease Registry Advisory Board.

Ms. Bieda has served as Behavioral Health Manager for the Pokagon Band for over 14 years and has more than 25 years of experience in care coordination and evidence-based practice. Her work focuses on integrating medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), prevention, harm reduction, and improving access to treatment. She also serves as Chair of the Michigan Tribal Behavioral Health Network Committee and is a member of the Michigan Behavioral Health Advisory Council.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994.The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care, and cultural preservation for its more than 6,400 citizens. The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011, Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013 and Four Winds South Bend in 2018. The Pokagon Band operates a variety of non-gaming businesses through its investment enterprises, Mno-Bmadsen and the Pokagon Development Authority, including Rolling Embers. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.