Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner are proposing to direct more than $6.5 million in new opioid settlement funds toward transitional housing and reentry support for Cherokee citizens returning from incarceration.
Under the plan, the funds would be placed into the tribe’s Public Health and Wellness Fund Act, a long-term framework that supports behavioral health and wellness programs. Of the total amount, $4 million would help build and operate transitional living facilities designed to help citizens reenter society successfully after incarceration.
“We are far better off as a tribe, and as a society, if we lift up those who have been held accountable for their crimes and who have a commitment to rejoin society as productive citizens,” Hoskin said. “After already boosting funding for our reentry program by half a million this year, it is time to plan for the next phase of development using a small portion of opioid settlement funds.”
Created by legislation in 2021, the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act ensures that any revenue from legal settlements, opioid litigation or similar sources is reserved for long-term wellness initiatives rather than absorbed into the tribe’s general budget. Each expenditure requires approval from the Cherokee Nation Council and is publicly reported through annual updates.
The fund can be used only for behavioral health, physical wellness and preventive care programs. Hoskin has called it “a sustainable engine for public health,” designed to turn one of the state’s worst public health crises into lasting community improvements.
So far, the fund has supported mental health scholarships, addiction treatment construction projects and fitness and nutrition programs throughout the reservation.
Cherokee Nation became the first government in the United States to sue major opioid manufacturers and distributors in 2017, under former Chief Bill John Baker and Attorney General Todd Hembree. The lawsuit accused the companies of flooding Cherokee communities with addictive painkillers.
The case, later pursued under former Attorney General Sara Hill and current Attorney General Chad Harsha, led to a $6.5 million settlement in September 2025.
Hoskin said the outcome reinforces the tribe’s right to hold corporations accountable for the harm caused on sovereign land.
Secrett Taylor is a freelance journalist covering education, business, state and local politics that affect Oklahoma.
Her background in education and special education has earned her many awards, including Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025 from Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy.
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