Louisiana

Louisiana lawmakers, healthcare leaders brainstorm over ongoing opioid crisis

Published

2 years ago

August 23, 2022

Louisiana lawmakers, healthcare leaders brainstorm over ongoing opioid crisis

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Specialists say the COVID-19 pandemic shouldn’t be serving to the nation’s opioid disaster. However an LSU Well being physician says the medical neighborhood is responding to efforts to scale back the prescribing of such medication.

Native, state and federal officers brainstormed Tuesday (Aug. 23) with Louisiana Sen. Invoice Cassidy on methods to ramp up the battle in opposition to opioid abuse and different illicit drug use, throughout a roundtable dialogue in New Orleans.

“We had been making an influence earlier than COVID,” stated Edward Carlson, CEO of Odyssey Home of Louisiana, which hosted the assembly. “Sadly, COVID has simply type of recreated the wave even worse.”

Cassidy stated the dialogue touched on painkillers and different illicit medication.

“It’s not simply opioids,” Cassidy stated. “There are people who find themselves dying from methamphetamine as properly. We heard statistics from the state crime lab that about 80 p.c of individuals have multiple substance of their blood once they’re stopped for driving beneath the affect, not together with alcohol.”

Fixing the drug disaster, he stated, goes past one strategy.

“There isn’t a one resolution,” Cassidy stated. “When you have a youngster, you must first attempt to maintain them from ever utilizing a substance in any respect. Gerry Cvitanovich, the (Jefferson Parish) coroner, stated one tablet can kill. Somebody thinks they’re shopping for some benign, (or) comparatively benign substance, and it seems it’s laced with fentanyl.”

Congress has handed legal guidelines and the CDC issued pointers in an effort to scale back the over-prescribing of opioids, for the reason that painkilling medication can show addictive for some individuals.

Dr. Benjamin Springgate, LSU Well being’s Chief of Group & Inhabitants Drugs, stated lawmakers and medical professionals have labored in recent times to lower the quantity of opioids being prescribed. However he stated the medication nonetheless have a spot in medication.

“For acute, traumatic accidents like a damaged leg or one thing, there could also be some short-term profit to receiving some opioid ache treatment. (And) for persistent, unremitting ache related to one thing extreme like most cancers.”

However he additionally confused different choices.

“There are various medicines which may also be efficient in controlling ache, comparable to non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medicines,” he stated. “Over-the-counter variations would possibly embody Ibuprofen or Naproxen, additionally Tylenol or Acetaminophen. And injections and a lot of these non-opioid medicines, mixed with bodily remedy or different approaches, could make an enormous distinction in ache with out the danger of habit or overdose.”

Springgate and Cassidy stated the medical neighborhood has responded in a optimistic technique to new CDC pointers and legal guidelines associated to prescribing opioid medication.

“We’ve seen an incredible lower over time in just about each state within the nation, together with right here in Louisiana, in prescriptions of opioids,” Springgate stated. “So I believe the supplier neighborhood, the doctor neighborhood, has been responsive.”

Cassidy stated, “I believe physicians, dentists have develop into very conscious of the potential for habit and the way we prescribe. Now what now we have to fret about are medication coming throughout the border or medication coming from China by the mail.”

Members additionally mentioned find out how to get resuscitated overdose victims into therapy packages, hopefully inside 24 hours whereas the scary expertise stays recent of their minds.

“We had been informed that they’re nearly to the purpose the place that’s going to occur with everybody that’s resuscitated on the road,” Cassidy stated.

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Related Topics:Featured health lsu health opioids sabrina wilson Sen. Bill Cassidy

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Louisiana

Council for a Better Louisiana praises approved tax reform package

Published

7 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

Council for a Better Louisiana praises approved tax reform package

You can add the Council for a Better Louisiana to the groups hailing the tax reform package. CABL President Barry Erwin said the lowering of personal and corporate income taxes and the elimination of the franchise tax will make Louisiana a better place to live and to do business.

“All these things kind of help improve our competitiveness and I think send a message that Louisiana is trying to do some things that we can where we can to improve the environment for businesses and for people.”

Erwin said he hopes that the new tax structure will encourage people to consider moving to Louisiana.

“We need to do some things that send messages about what we’re doing, how we’re trying to improve ourselves, how we’re trying to make life better in our state, and I think this is one thing that does it.”

Erwin, however, said it’s unfortunate that sales taxes, which are already among the highest in the nation, are increasing even further, with the state rate going up to five-percent as of January 1st.

“I think a lot of people feel more comfortable in some ways with a sales tax than an income tax, but I think we can’t lose track that the highest in the country is not a great place to be, and it hurts our poorest citizens the most.”

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Louisiana

License plate readers popping up at Mall of Louisiana

Published

15 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

License plate readers popping up at Mall of Louisiana

BATON ROUGE – Ahead of the holiday shopping season, new technology is being used at shopping centers across Baton Rouge to track and combat crime.

License plate readers have been popping up all around the city, along the interstate, and now at the Mall of Louisiana due to the Page-Rice public safety initiative. So far, more than 100 cameras and license plate readers have been installed.

Clay Young is with the Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Foundation (LECJF), a group partnering with law enforcement to put up the license plate readers. He says the cameras can be pricey, ranging from $2,800 to $5,000 depending on the type of tech, and it’s up to law enforcement to decide where the cameras are most effective and monitor them.

“Hopefully, nothing happens. But if something does, we want to expedite justice as fast as possible,” Young said.

Earlier this year, law enforcement used license plate readers to track down the stolen car of a man who was murdered and dumped alongside a Tangipahoa Parish highway. TikTok personality Mr. Prada, whose legal name is Terryon Thomas, was identified as the person driving the car and he was arrested in the murder.

The cameras are also being used on the interstate to track shootings, where one has happened as recently as Sunday on Interstate 110.

“This time of the year, a lot of people are shopping, and kids are moving around,” Young said. “We just wanted to lend some assistance to law enforcement to make certain that they can keep eyes on everything.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Christmas tree farm ready for holiday rush after drought recovery

Published

23 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Louisiana Christmas tree farm ready for holiday rush after drought recovery

ETHEL—A Christmas tree farm in Ethel is ready for the holiday rush and happy to keep Christmas traditions alive for families across the state.

Lisa Brabham and her husband Ricky Peairs own Windy Hills Farm and have been growing trees since the 1990s. Last year’s historic lack of rain spooked the couple.

“We had such a serious drought. Some of the trees we lost. They died and some had damaged limbs. We still had plenty to sell, but we were worried about the impact on this year,” Brabham said. “We’ve had calls this year saying, ‘Hey, do y’all have trees this year? Do you have a good selection?’ And I think we do.”

The couple waited anxiously to see if those young trees would come back. As they get ready for the Christmas season to begin, Brabham says she’s pleased with how the farm held up.

“We’ve had rain this year, so I would say the trees have recovered, so lots better than last year,” Brabham said.

Families can come to chop down their Christmas trees once again and carry on traditions.

“I remember going with the family to go get the tree. It’s a very good memory we have, and I think that’s what people are trying to do now is build memories and get traditions started,” Brabham said.

Windy Hills Farm will be open for business on Black Friday.

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