J.D. Vance pledged to address addiction. Patients at a nearby clinic hope he's serious

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

A few nights ago, GOP vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance spoke at the Republican National Convention about people he remembered from his Ohio hometown who died of drug overdoses. WUWM Milwaukee's Chuck Quirmbach went to a health center there. Here's what he heard about Vance's remarks.

CHUCK QUIRMBACH, BYLINE: U.S. Senator J.D. Vance told the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee that despite difficulties during his childhood, things have worked out pretty well for him. But he says that's not true for a lot of kids he grew up with.

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J D VANCE: Every now and then, I will get a call from a relative back home who asks, did you know So-And-So? And I'll remember a face from years ago, and then I'll hear they died of an overdose.

J D VANCE: Every now and then, I will get a call from a relative back home who asks, did you know So-And-So? And I'll remember a face from years ago, and then I'll hear they died of an overdose.

QUIRMBACH: According to the federal government's National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 108,000 people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses in 2022, more than five times the number in the year 2000, often from synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Vance also promised to help forgotten communities. A few miles from where Vance spoke, Mark Denning meets me at the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, and remembers his son, Sawyer, who was addicted to drugs and died in 2018.

MARK DENNING: And it was a difficult process because he himself was dealing with the suicides of his brother and sister.

QUIRMBACH: Denning, who is a descendant of several Native American tribes, says Sawyer was an enrolled member of the Oneida nation. While white people in Milwaukee County have the most overdose deaths, the county's relatively small native population has the highest rate of fatalities. Denning says he's glad anytime public officials say they want to do something about the problem.

DENNING: But also as a native person, I am also cognizant - I am aware of promises from the federal government and ideas that are offered.

QUIRMBACH: Promises, Denning says, that often don't become reality. Denning says he often hears politicians blame immigrants for bringing in illegal drugs, but says he doesn't hear as much talk about the role of drug companies in the crisis. Daniel Preston runs drug rehab meetings for Native Americans at the center. He says you can reduce addiction by giving people a place to be heard.

DANIEL PRESTON: I just feel that when they come through the doors, they feel welcome, and somebody from here would understand what they're going through and listen to what they're going through.

QUIRMBACH: Preston says whether politicians will be helpful in curbing the overdose problem is hard to say. He says as a counselor, he's just trying to do his part.

For NPR News, I'm Chuck Quirmbach in Milwaukee.

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