At MERIT, we want to meet you where you are. As part of our outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation services, we provide addiction prevention, recovery, and wellness services to the Native American community through the nonprofit White Bison, a leading provider of grassroots, culturally based healing for the well-being of Indigenous people. Our Wellbriety Certified Treatment Center offers culturally based drug and alcohol rehabilitation services, serving individuals and families throughout Ellensburg, Kennewick, Pasco, Sunnyside, Toppenish, Wapato, and Yakima.

History of White Bison Addiction Recovery Services

To Native Americans, a white buffalo calf is the most sacred living thing on earth. The calf is a sign of hope and good fortune. The Sacred Hoop began in 1994 as a vision following a white bison birth in Janesville, Wisconsin. An Indian man saw a willow sapling lose its leaves and form itself into a circle. One hundred feathers arrived one by one from the four directions, attaching themselves to the willow hoop, each represented by a color: Yellow in the east, red in the south, black in the west, and white in the north, each representing a Native American community.

Mission of the Sacred Hoop

Elders later constructed the Sacred Hoop in a sweat lodge in May 1995. They gathered in Janesville to provide prayers for the Sacred Hoop and align its purpose to the coming Healing Time. They placed the gifts of Healing, Hope, Unity, and the Power to Forgive the Unforgivable within it. After the ceremony, the Sacred Hoop was entrusted to Don Coyhis, the Mohican nation, and the White Bison organization. Since its creation, it has played a role in many healing ceremonies and activities across the US. The Circle and Four Directions are teachers, guiding descendants, families, and communities to a sober, healthy life where emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual needs are met.

White Bison Addiction Treatment Services

White Bison drug treatment programs and services focus on change that comes from within the individual, family, and community. Substance use disorder is a symptom – not the cause – of disharmony. We are interconnected. It takes everyone to heal through the application of cultural and spiritual knowledge. Together, we must create a healing forest through:

• A staff and community of Native Americans who understand your needs
• Individual substance abuse outpatient and online counseling
• Wellbriety meetings, including The Red Road to Wellbriety: In the Native American Way curriculum
• The Medicine Wheel and 12 Steps course
• Access to elders, ceremonies, and teachings
• Healing practices, including smudging, sweats, and pipe ceremonies
• Drug rehabilitation self-care and aftercare plans
• Referrals and community resources
• Training for those who’d like to serve as counselors/leaders in the community

Achieve Your Wellness and Healing Goals with Help from Your Community

Start your journey to recover from the harmful effects of substance abuse. Contact MERIT at 877-789-3344 to schedule a White Bison intake and screening at our Ellensburg, Kennewick, Pasco, Sunnyside, Toppenish, Wapato, or Yakima rehabilitation center today