Programs & Services

Health and Human Services

The Mille Lacs Band operates three clinic locations across the reservation to make high-quality health care available to Band members. The Band also offers public health services to Band communities, behavioral health services, family services such as child welfare and foster care services, and community support services to assist Elders and Band members in need.

The Mille Lacs Band operates a state-of-the art diabetes program, which provides prevention education and care for Band members, who are 2.3 times more likely to have diabetes than the non-Indians. The team combines cutting-edge medical treatments with traditional remedies to address diabetes in a culturally relevant manner. For more information about the diabetes program, contact Johanna Larson, Diabetes Program Coordinator, at 320-532-7790.

Gego Zaagaswaaken program

Through the Gego Zaagaswaaken ("Don't Smoke") program, the Mille Lacs Band educates Band members about the dangers of commercial tobacco use and provides them with resources to quit smoking. Instead of using commercial tobacco, the Band encourages people to return to using traditional tobacco -- kinnikinnick from the red willow tree -- in a ceremonial way. For more information, contact Roberta Ladd, community health educator, at 320-532-7812.

From a cultural custom to a dangerous addiction, “A Forgotten Tradition” tells the age-old story of tobacco use on the Mille Lacs Reservation. Spiritual healer Herbert Sam and Carol Hernandez of the Secondhand Smoke Project talk about the early days of tobacco use for Mille Lacs Band members, explain how smoking became a widespread problem on the reservation, and provide hope for a healthier future.