Overdoes Awareness event held in St.Bernard Parish

ST. BERNARD PARISH, La. (WGNO) —Addiction counselors, healthcare professionals, and St. Bernard Parish community members came together with one common goal: to educate the public about opioid misuse dangers and offer effective strategies for recovery.

The St. Bernard Taskforce Opioid Program (S.T.O.P) works as a liaison between the community, those struggling with addiction, and addiction specialists. The program applies outreach strategies that include prevention plans, treatment, recovery, and enforcement.

Although S.T.O.P. utilizes research-based strategies, Program Director, Kaitlen Neitzschman explains that this particular program treats the person and not the addiction. She says the goal is not only to aid in opioid recovery, but to prevent addiction completly. Neitzschman explains that long-term addicts are often severely impaired by the drug as it can have long-term effects on its victims.

“Long term use of opioids alters how we handle stress, regulate emotions, and develop coping skills.”

First Responders like Capt. Crotwell, with the St. Bernard Fire Department, agree that outreach paired with an effective treatment plan helps to ease the challenges of addiction. Capt. Crotwell explains that during his 20+ years of service, he’s revived several overdose victims. Crotwell says his team often responds to calls of help from the same victim more than once.

“Typically, for an overdose, the patient’s heart rate will be accelerated, and their respirations are going to decrease. So we try to put them in a position where they can continue to breathe until 911 can get there. The Narcan that we deliver reverses the effects of the opioids and allows their respirations to come back.”   

Experts say the road to recovery may takes years as addicts often relapse on the drug. Those struggling with addiction, often face many challenges such as severe withdrawal symptoms. Although sobriety may be a long journey of treatment and support, Crotwell insists that most addicts eventually reach a breaking point.

“Until they’ve hit rock bottom and decided for themselves that they’re tired of being a drug user, they are going to continue to do that. That one time that we administer Narcan and save them might be the time that they decide to change their lives for the better.”

EMT’s with the St. Bernard Fire Department also provided a live demonstration on how to properly administer Narcan, a life-saving medication that can reverse overdoses. Participants learned the signs of a possible overdose and how to measure Narcan doses accurately.

“We put .5 in one nostril, .5 in the other. One milligram total—then we wait 3-5 minutes. If there hasn’t been an improvement, we can administer another .5 in each nostril, allowing for a total of 2 milligrams.” Capt. J. Wolf, St. Bernard Fire Department.

Attendees also heard emotional yet encouraging testimonies from families who have lost loved ones to addiction. St. Bernard Parish resident, Denise Montalbano, lost her son Niko, to an opioid overdose after years of failed treatment plans. “Sometimes you don’t know where to go or what to do.” Montalbano explains the importance of providing support to struggling family members, and says education is key.

According to the most recent CDC statistics, in Louisiana, there were close to 2,500 deaths between 2023 and 2024. Community leaders emphasized the need for intervention and expressed how programs such as S.T.O.P. drastically improve overdose statistics.

If you or someone you know is struggling with opioid addiction, visit the St. Bernard Taskforce Opioid Programs website here.

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