Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness

What Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness does

Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness (WPHW) is a Bangor, Maine-based nonprofit tribal health organization founded in 1996 (originally as the Wabanaki Mental Health Association) that delivers culturally-centered public health, behavioral health, and recovery services to members of the four federally recognized Wabanaki tribes of Maine — the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Aroostook Band of Micmacs, Passamaquoddy Tribe (Indian Township and Pleasant Point), and Penobscot Nation. Following the 2020 merger of Wabanaki Health and Wellness and Wabanaki Public Health, the organization operates an integrated portfolio across four divisions: (1) Wabanaki Healing & Recovery, which provides detox (Cedar Road), residential recovery homes (Opportunity House, Wabanaki Women's Home, Healing House), intensive outpatient, medication-assisted treatment, peer support (The Wab Center), and substance use prevention; (2) Health & Wellness Services, including behavioral health and housing support; (3) Wabanaki Public Health, covering maternal and child health, youth leadership, food sovereignty, environmental health, water quality, COVID-19 response, cultural/language programming, and veteran and elder services; and (4) the Center for Wabanaki Research, Knowledge & Innovation. The organization also operates the 24/7 Wabanaki Care Line crisis line, the Mobile Food Pantry serving all five tribal communities, and the Aunties On Air podcast.

WPHW's service model integrates traditional Wabanaki ceremonies, language instruction, and cultural protocols with evidence-based clinical frameworks such as the Family Spirit home visiting curriculum (developed with Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health) and the Wellbriety Movement's 12-step adaptation. Service delivery relies on community health workers, peer recovery specialists, and tribal liaisons embedded across the five tribal communities, with six physical sites (four in Bangor, plus Healing Lodge in Millinocket and Sockalexis Arena in Old Town) and emerging virtual channels (telehealth, virtual language classes, live-streamed community smudges). The organization is the operational arm of the Wabanaki Public Health District, codified in Maine statute in June 2011 as the 9th Public Health District — a status that gives it a unique intergovernmental standing with the State of Maine and the federally recognized tribes as sovereign nations.

The revenue model is grant-and-reimbursement driven rather than commercial: primary funding comes from federal and state grants (USDA Rural Development, NIH, SAMHSA, Maine CDC and other state programs), tribal government contributions from the four tribes, MaineCare reimbursable services for behavioral health home, case management, and opioid health home, individual donations, and a sliding-scale fee structure for recovery-home residency. Pricing for community-facing services is largely free to tribal members, while Cedar Road Detox and MAT services now also extend to non-indigenous clients, including those covered by MaineCare. WPHW reaches over 7,000 individuals annually and is led by a Co-CEO structure (Lisa Sockabasin, Passamaquoddy citizen) with a divisional management team, operating without private-equity backing or commercial fundraising.

Name

Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness

Legal name

Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness

Website

https://wabanakiphw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness is a Bangor, Maine-based nonprofit tribal health organization providing culturally-centered public health, behavioral health, and substance use recovery services across four federally recognized Wabanaki tribes in five Maine communities, reaching 7,000+ individuals annually through integrated prevention, treatment, and cultural programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tribal Public Health & Wellness Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (62322), Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Tribal/Indigenous Public Health Authorities (HLAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK), Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

Keywords

• Tribal public health
• Behavioral health services
• Substance use recovery
• Culturally centered healing
• Community wellness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal and State Grants: Primary funding from federal agencies including NIH, USDA Rural Development, SAMHSA, and Maine state programs. Includes emergency rural health care grants, opioid response funding, and public health infrastructure support.
2. MaineCare Reimbursable Services: Behavioral health home and case management services covered under MaineCare. Opioid Health Home services for eligible MaineCare clients with opioid use disorder.
3. Individual Donations: Individual donations supporting general operations and specific programs through a secure donation portal on the organization's website.
4. Tribal Government Funding: Funding from the four federally recognized Wabanaki tribes in Maine for services provided to tribal members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness provides culturally-centered public health, behavioral health, substance use treatment and recovery housing, maternal and child health, youth development, food sovereignty, water quality, and cultural programs to members of the four federally recognized Wabanaki tribes in Maine and other Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals who access specific programs. Services are organized into Wabanaki Healing & Recovery, Health & Wellness Services, Community and Land Wellness, and Supporting Our Future Generations divisions, and are largely delivered free to tribal members through grant and MaineCare-funded operations.

Product overview

Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness operates as a comprehensive public health and social services organization serving Wabanaki tribal communities in Maine. The organization offers a unified portfolio of integrated services organized into four main divisions: (1) Wabanaki Healing & Recovery providing culturally-centered substance use treatment including detox, recovery homes, intensive outpatient, medication-assisted treatment, and peer support; (2) Wabanaki Health & Wellness offering behavioral health services and housing support; (3) Wabanaki Public Health delivering community-based services including maternal child health, youth leadership, food/water sovereignty, environmental health, and cultural programs; and (4) Center for Wabanaki Research, Knowledge & Innovation conducting community surveys and providing internships. Additional offerings include the Wabanaki Care Line crisis hotline (24/7), Aunties On Air podcast, and COVID-19 prevention programs. The organization was formed in 2020 through merger of Wabanaki Health and Wellness with Wabanaki Public Health District.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wabanaki Healing & Recovery
• Cedar Road Detox Program
• Wabanaki Recovery Homes
• Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
• Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
• Wabanaki Care Line
• Peer-Run Recovery Center (The Wab)
• Wabanaki Substance Use Prevention Program
• Housing Security & Support Services
• Wabanaki Public Health (Division)
• Nikan'usk Leadership Development Programs
• Maternal and Child Health Programs
• Tribal Home Visiting Program (Wabanaki Families)
• Kcitpahsuwet (Suicide Prevention) Program
• KTANAQSON Food Sovereignty Program
• Sipayik Water Quality Program
• Mobile Food Pantry
• Nuli Pomaws Healthy Living Program
• Étoni Environmental Health
• Cultural Activities & Programs
• Center for Wabanaki Research, Knowledge & Innovation
• Center for Wabanaki Healing & Recovery

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Washington State University (IREACH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2022$4.5 million NIH-funded study on Alzheimer's disease in Wabanaki communities, with WSU's Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) as partner
• Bakery Photo CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership to pilot PhotoVoice project, providing Wabanaki youth with photography skills workshops and digital storytelling opportunities
• Maine CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Partnership formed in 2008 when the four federally recognized tribes came together with Maine CDC to establish the Tribal Public Health Unit, which became the 9th Public Health District in Maine in 2011
• Cornerstone Behavioral HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partnership for behavioral health home and case management programs. WPHW partners with Cornerstone for clinical case management programs serving both children and adults.
• Community Housing of MainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing 14 supportive housing apartments and the Lewey Apartments 10-unit supportive housing project for tribally enrolled Native Americans in Bangor
• Maine Snap-Ed and Good Shepherd Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Cooking Matters classes in Millinocket, providing interactive cooking and nutrition education for kids, teens, adults, and families
• PIR2PeerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecovery coaching partnership in Millinocket, creating a community of recovery in rural central Maine and supporting broader recovery community needs
• Wabanaki Youth in Science (WaYS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternship opportunity connecting Wabanaki students to experiential learning and career pathways in public health and science
• White BisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellbriety Movement partnership providing 12-step recovery meetings based on traditional Native American principles, including Warrior Down Recovery Coaching and Mending the Broken Heart programs

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority:

Broad incumbents

• Indian Health Service (IHS): Federal agency within HHS responsible for providing health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Comparable mission in serving tribal communities, though WPHW operates as a tribal organization rather than a federal agency.
• Southcentral Foundation: Alaska Native-owned nonprofit providing health and related services to Alaska Native and American Indian people, with nationally recognized integrated behavioral health and primary care model. Directly comparable in mission and integrated service approach.
• Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC): Alaska-based tribal health consortium providing comprehensive health services to Alaska Native/American Indian people, including behavioral health, primary care, and research. Most comparable large-scale Indigenous-led health organization to WPHW's integrated service model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubefacebook.com/WabanakiPHW
• Facebookfacebook.com/WabanakiPHW
• Xx.com/wabanakiphw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness