HJBR Sep/Oct 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  SEP / OCT 2021 37 als, school leaders, professionals, provider agencies and law enforcement personnel is to intervene at every level to address fac- tors that impact opioid overdoses in our communities. Professionals on the front line in treatment facilities can only do so much. It’s going to take prevention, political action, community mobilization and family interventions — all of which have proven ef- fective. The opioid crisis is not going away, and we cannot ignore its effects and conse- quences as other distractions emerge. We must take overdoses seriously and demand — as well as demonstrate — the crucial need to help our fellow Louisianans manage their addiction and recognize this epidemic as a health threat. We should all urge Louisianans to seek out the resources in their local regions, share these with their loved ones and ask their local elected officials, as well as healthcare and behavioral health leaders, to prioritize opioids as a public health threat. We should talk to clergy and other com- munity leaders about their responsibility and pull out every tool necessary to help address the need. Most of all, we must act to declare the opioid epidemic as a serious threat to everyone’s well-being. It is time for a continued call to action. We cannot close our eyes and shake our heads, especially as people are dying of this preventable dis- ease. Let’s open our eyes to the reality that each and every one of us is needed to ad- dress the opioid epidemic in Louisiana. n Janice Williams, PhD, is the deputy assistant secre- tary of the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Behavioral Health and the Louisiana representative to the NationalAssociation of StateAlcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD). Williams is a graduate of Dillard University and received a PhD from Penn State. She is a native of Baton Rouge and remains passionate about bringing awareness to the disease of addiction. She works to advocate for funding and resources for Louisianans experiencing behavioral health conditions. this epidemic on the radar. Although we’ve made progress in rally- ing community and state leaders, as well as the availability of unprecedented resources to address opioid use disorders, the ques- tion remains: what shall we do now? It can be tempting to feel as though the problems outweigh the solutions. Before the pandem- ic and 2020’s natural disasters hit, my man- tra would have been to take one problem at a time. However, the lessons of the last 18 months have taught us that we can’t afford to look at each issue in a vacuum. We know that the many impactful conditions that Louisianans are faced with must be strate- gically addressed with a holistic approach that will keep opioid use disorders a top priority. In the broadest terms, we need to be vigilant and remember that we are all in a continuous phase of recovery. Louisianans are nothing if not resilient. We have proven so in the 16 years since Hurricane Katrina, an experience that taught us it takes true strength and diligence to make a difference. I am as confident as ever that our resilience is our asset. During “Recovery Month” ob- servances in September, we will honor the gains our citizens have made through their recovery journey. The theme for 2021, “Re- covery is for Everyone,” underscores how all of us are touched by addiction and re- minds us that it’s our collective responsibil- ity to help those in need, especially during this year as we navigate the COVID-19 cri- sis. Reach out to them, hear their challeng- es and make yourself available to others around you who are suffering. Louisianans are dying from this disease, and they need our help. Healthcare and behavioral health profes- sionals continue to research and share data that informs strategies to promote posi- tive outcomes. Our challenge as individu- munity stakeholders. Medications for opi- oid use disorders were also identified and made available. Supporting the need for prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery supports, we mounted a coordi- nated effort to address this crisis. We established a legislative committee, the Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Ed- ucation (HOPE) advisory council, which was organized to bring stakeholders to the table to address issues related to the state- wide impact of opioids. With other efforts, we issued standing orders to provide ac- cess to naloxone when needed, passed a Good Samaritan law, placed limits on opi- oid prescription drugs, established drop boxes for disposal of unused medications and trained professionals in appropriate evidence-based practices. Additionally, the Medicaid program approved the use of methadone for substance use disorders. We have also seen success with providing medications and follow-up treatment for our residents returning from incarceration and those participating in court-ordered programs. The Governor called for the first state- wide summit in 2019 to ensure citizens of Louisiana were getting evidence-based in- formation on the impact of not only opioids, but other disorders related to substance use and abuse in communities. LDH released a comprehensive strategy identifying a mod- el for five pillars that were necessary to address this crisis: better data, prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery ser- vices. LDH continued promoting awareness with a virtual Behavioral Health Summit in 2020, sharing the five pillars model to con- tinue the conversation, especially among local multi-sector coalitions addressing prevention in communities. Another opioid summit is being planned for 2022 to further address the need to keep discussions about Janice Williams, PhD Deputy Assistant Secretary Office of Behavioral Health Louisiana Department of Health