{"id":846131,"date":"2026-06-05T12:41:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T12:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/846131\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T12:41:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T12:41:19","slug":"director-denies-blackfeet-clinic-overprescribed-opioids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/846131\/","title":{"rendered":"Director denies Blackfeet clinic overprescribed opioids"},"content":{"rendered":"

BROWNING, Mont. \u2013 Jennifer St. Goddard had one mission.<\/p>\n

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kAmp?5 E9@D6 4@DED 92G6 366? 9:89[ D96 D2:5]k^Am<\/p>\n

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\n People are also reading\u2026\n <\/p>\n

\"Blackfeet<\/p>\n

A map of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation located in northwestern Montana.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ANNE CRUIKSHANK<\/p>\n

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\"Jennifer<\/p>\n

Jennifer St. Goddard, administrator of Southern Piegan Health Center until recently,\u00a0said allegations that SPHC was harming people were \u201cunjust,\u201d \u201cunwarranted\u201d and \u201cunsubstantiated.\u201d<\/p>\n

TED McDERMOTT,<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n


\n \"Blackfeet
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Mary DesRosier\u2019s whole life has been built on \u201cmedicine, Blackfeet, helping and healing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Jennifer<\/p>\n

Jennifer St. Goddard, administrator of Southern Piegan Health Center until recently, unlocks a door at the clinic in Browning, which was undergoing a remodel in April.<\/p>\n

TED McDERMOTT,<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n


\n \"Critics
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Some believe a tribal clinic with a pain-management program was fueling harm by flooding the Blackfeet Nation with opioids. Supporters saw it as a haven for suffering patients.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Jennifer<\/p>\n

Jennifer St. Goddard, administrator of Southern Piegan Health Center until recently, pushed back on claims that patients had been harmed as a result of SPHC\u2019s practices or \u201cthat we were a pill mill.\u201d<\/p>\n

TED McDERMOTT,<\/p>\n

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\"SPHC<\/p>\n

Concerns about the prescribing practices at the Southern Piegan Health Center, a tribally operated clinic, have roiled\u00a0the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwest Montana.<\/p>\n

TED McDERMOTT,<\/p>\n

k9am\u2018(6 5@?VE 92G6 E96 C6D@FC46D\u2019k^9am<\/p>\n

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kAm\u201c(6 H:== DE:== >2:?E2:? E96:C AC:>2CJ 42C6[\u201d $E] v@552C5 D2:5] \u201cp?5 H6VG6 3C@F89E @? 2 A2E:6?E\\42C6 4@@C5:?2E@C E@ <:?5 @7 96=A H:E9 E9@D6 <:?5 @7 >@C6 D@4:2= 56E6C>:?2?ED[ ECJ:?8 E@ H@C< H:E9 A6@A=6 E@ 86E E96> @? 962=E9 :?DFC2?46[ E@ 86E E96> 9@@<65 FA H:E9 EC2?DA@CE2E:@?] p?5 D@ :EVD ?@E E92E H6VC6 ;FDE D2J:?8 =:<6[ \u2018~9[ 96C6[ J@F @H[ J@F ?665 E@ 9625 @FE[\u2019 @C H92E6G6C] (6VC6 567:?:E6=J ECJ:?8 E@ 3C:586 E9@D6 2C62D E@ >2<6 DFC6 E92E E96JVC6 DE:== 23=6 E@ 2446DD E96:C A2:? >65:4:?6 @C E@ 96=A E96>]\u201dk^Am<\/p>\n

k9am\u2018’6CJ 5:D962CE6?:?8\u2019k^9am<\/p>\n

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k9am\u2018s:77:4F=E 564:D:@?\u2019k^9am<\/p>\n

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kAmqFE $E] v@552C5 E@=5 {66 t?E6CAC:D6D D96 5@F3E65 E96 :?E68C:EJ 2?5 >@E:G6D @7 #FE96C7@C5 2?5 @E96CD @? 4@F?4:= H9@ 2AAC@G65 2? :?G6DE:82E:@? 32D65 @? H92E D96 C676CC65 E@ 2D \u201cD@=:4:E65 4@>A=2:?ED\u201d 7C@> \u201c5:D8CF?E=65 6>A=@J66D]\u201dk^Am<\/p>\n

kAmu@C $E] v@552C5[ E96 4@F?4:=\u2019D :?G6DE:82E:@? H2D ;FDE E96 =2E6DE :?DE2==>6?E \ud83d\ude15 E9C66 J62CD @7 \u201cE2C86E:?8\u201d 3J E9@D6 H9@ H2?E65 E@ 86E C:5 @7 96C[ D96 D2:5]k^Am<\/p>\n

kAm\u201cpE E96 6?5 @7 E96 52J[ x H2D ;FDE =:<6[ x 5@?VE 92G6 2?J 56D:C6 E@ 8@ E9C@F89 2?@E96C 7:89E[\u201d $E] v@552C5 D2:5]k^Am<\/p>\n

\"Bison<\/p>\n

Bison from the Blackfeet Buffalo Program graze on their winter range along the Two Medicine River. The tribe has about 700 bison in the herd, and this year they harvested about 20 to distribute across the community.<\/p>\n

THOM BRIDGE, Independent Record<\/p>\n

Ted McDermott has been a reporter and editor at newspapers in Missoula, Butte and Spokane.\u00a0His reporting has earned numerous journalism awards, including the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting and first place for Coverage of Indigenous Communities by a non-Native reporter from the Indigenous Media Awards.<\/p>\n

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