Care coordination means helping people navigate systems that are often confusing, fragmented, or unsafe.

Our approach to care coordination is:

• Person-centered and voluntary

• Grounded in trust and confidentiality

• Focused on reducing barriers—not adding requirements

We help connect individuals to services while honoring choice, culture, and autonomy.

The heart of this Network is the Cultural Liaison model.

Cultural Liaisons are trusted community members embedded within tribal communities and urban Indian organizations. They serve as bridges—connecting people to resources, supporting care coordination, and advocating for community needs at the state level.

Cultural Liaisons:

• Are rooted in the communities they serve

• Understand local culture, history, and relationships

• Practice harm reduction with compassion and accountability

• Strengthen trust between communities and systems

As the Network grows, Cultural Liaisons will help ensure harm reduction remains Native-led, culturally responsive, and community-driven across North Carolina.

Advocacy is a responsibility to our people. It means speaking truth about what Native communities face and ensuring policies reflect lived experience, cultural context, and real needs on the ground.

Policy Priorities

Our advocacy focuses on policies that:

• Expand access to harm reduction services in tribal and urban Indian communities

• Support overdose prevention and naloxone distribution

• Reduce criminalization and stigma related to substance use

• Invest in culturally responsive care coordination

• Recognize tribal sovereignty in public health planning and funding

• Include Native voices in statewide harm reduction decision-making

Policy should protect life, dignity, and community wellbeing.