FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2013
Contact: Desiree Evans
Women With a Vision
Office: 504-301-0428
Statement on the Rise of Deadly Overdoses in the New Orleans Metro Area
WWAV Calls for the Passage of Good Samaritan 911 Legislation in Louisiana
By Catherine Jones, MD
A recent article in the The Times-Picayune entitled, “Heroin fuels surge in deadly overdoses in Jefferson Parish,” highlights an area of significant concern for many of us in the public health sphere. The article points out that death from heroin overdose is on the rise locally; this mirrors a national trend. Fatal drug overdose accounts for over 36,000 deaths nationwide, and almost half of these can be attributed to opiates such as heroin. As a physician at University Hospital, I have become far too familiar with the consequences of opiate overdose.
Solutions, however, exist. In response to this alarming trend, states across the country have begun enacting two types of laws to help save lives. The first, known as a “Good Samaritan law,” allows witnesses to an overdose to call for help without fear of arrest or other reprisal. The second law allows naloxone, or Narcan, a safe and effective opiate antagonist, to be available to non-medical personnel without a prescription.
Numerous studies have shown that both of these interventions are effective at reducing the number of opiate-related overdose deaths in the communities in which they exist. Moreover, these interventions have few if any harms associated with them. A number of organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the World Health Organization, and the US Council of Mayors, have come out in support of these interventions.
In Louisiana, and especially here in the greater New Orleans area, we are reaching a critical point. The last national study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 15 people per 100,000 people die of overdose yearly in the state of Louisiana – one of the highest rates in the nation. As the article pointed out, these deadly overdoses are on the rise in the New Orleans metro area, with Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, and St. Tammany Parish seeing large spikes in heroin deaths.
We know that heroin overdose is a problem in our community, but there are solutions. All we need to do is act. If we are truly serious about not only saving healthcare costs, but also saving the lives of our youth, our elderly, our parents, and community members, we can pass these laws as a step toward approaching overdose from a public health perspective. Now is the time.
Women With a Vision believes that overdose deaths are preventable through public education campaigns and simple, cost-free legislation that could save families and lives in our community. 911 Good Samaritan laws can encourage witnesses to an overdose to call emergency services to save a life without fear of repercussions. Greater access to naloxone, whether through law enforcement programs, prescriber education, or training for friends and family of an opioid user, will save lives with a drug that is safe, effective, and has no potential for abuse. Join us in calling on legislative action to save lives! And if you have a story to share about your or a loved one’s struggle with an overdose, please call Women With a Vision today.
Catherine Jones, MD is a board-certified internist. She works full-time at University Hospital and is on the faculty at Tulane. She volunteers as a Harm Reduction and Health Education Trainer at Women With a Vision.