After the death of a student at Fort Lewis College, Kendra Gallegos knew the institution’s response had to do more than make space for grief—it also had to honor the cultural traditions of the college’s largely Native student body.

Fort Lewis, a public four-year college in Durango, Colo., invited an Indigenous healer to lead a traditional blessing of the residence hall where the student had lived.

That kind of healing ceremony reflects how campus leaders like Gallegos, the interim vice president of diversity affairs, approach student wellness programs: by grounding efforts in cultural practices that resonate with students.

“We’re always asking students what they need and recognizing that there are many different tribes, each with its own traditions and ways of responding when someone passes away,” Gallegos said.

With about 40 percent of its students identifying as Native, Fort Lewis offers a wide range of support services—from counseling rooted in Indigenous cultural identity to vending machines that provide anonymous access to Narcan, fentanyl test strips and emergency contraception—giving students multiple ways to seek help and protect themselves.

“We’re looking at a lot of different approaches and building partnerships across the state,” Gallegos said. “We want to look beyond our campus and ask, ‘How can we best serve our students’ needs and help them get access to care?’”

On the ground: Fort Lewis students have access to free, unlimited mental health and counseling services through the campus counseling center, including individual and group therapy, crisis support, and drop-in consultations.

But Gallegos said counseling alone is not “one-size-fits-all.” Students can also tap into Indigenous ways of knowing and healing, including through connections to traditional healers.

“We have a diverse group of students coming from all walks of life,” Gallegos said. “We get them connected with counselors who may be Indigenous, who may be from their tribe.”

Gallegos said traditional counseling is not always the most appropriate way to meet students’ needs.

“Maybe they need to go home and have a ceremony with their families, with their communities,” she said. “Or maybe they need a medicine man, or it’s herbal, like sage that we’re burning here in the campus community.”

Beyond clinical and cultural support, Fort Lewis’s peer support office offers confidential, peer-led assistance and help navigating campus resources. 

“We’re trying to be more specialized, knowing that [peer supporters] aren’t counselors and don’t have advanced degrees,” Gallegos said. “They’re not doing counseling—they’re saying, ‘I have some knowledge in this area or lived experience, and I’m willing to talk with you.’”

Students rely on peer support for guidance on substance use, Indigenous identity, sexuality and gender, and student-athlete challenges, among other topics, she added.

In 2024, the college also launched a harm-reduction vending machine that provides free, anonymous access to health and wellness supplies such as Narcan, fentanyl test strips, emergency contraception, menstrual products and condoms.

So far, the vending machine has dispensed more than 2,600 items—including more than 100 boxes of Narcan and nearly 700 fentanyl test strips, Gallegos said—underscoring student engagement as well as need.

Gallegos said the goal of the vending machine is to keep students in school by removing barriers to getting help.

“We don’t actually get to know who they are or what their stories are,” she said. “But we know it’s making a difference.”

Most recently, Fort Lewis began piloting a substance-free housing option for students in recovery or those who choose to live sober. The plan is to create an eight-resident living community designed to provide a supportive environment for students focused on sobriety.

The college has hired two recent Fort Lewis graduates to help lead the initiative.

“They’ll be part-time and really grow the community and the purpose in the sober living community and nurture those who are there,” Gallegos said.

Signs of progress: For Gallegos, supporting students starts with making clear that conversations about substance use and mental health are welcome at Fort Lewis.

“We don’t want there to be a wrong door for support,” she said. “We’ve seen that students are ready to talk to us about these things—they’re less willing to brush them under the rug until the last minute.”

That openness doesn’t mean abandoning boundaries, Gallegos added.

“We still follow our conduct code and policies,” she said. “But we’ve learned there can be a warmer handoff and an opportunity for growth and education.”

Ultimately, Gallegos said, she’s proud to have helped build what she calls a “community of care” on campus.

“Please don’t shut the door on a student who’s struggling,” she said. “Help them get the resources they need.”

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