The Washington Parish Coalition on Human Services recently heard a presentation from Wilbur “Bill” Stiles III, Chief Deputy Attorney General for the state of Louisiana, on the many aspects of the Louisiana Attorney General’s office including Sexual Exploitations, Safe Celebrations, Consumer Alerts, Fair Housing, Cyber Crimes and the latest on the opioid crisis in the state.

The meeting was held at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27, at Elizabeth Sullivan Memorial United Methodist Church in Bogalusa.

Stiles discussed a recent program begun by Attorney General Jeff Landry in May. During that month, Landry announced a collaborative initiative to arm first responders with a drug to aid opioid overdose victims.

Naloxone, commonly called Narcan, is a prescription medication that counteracts the effects of opioids to restore breathing during an overdose. Landry’s office, through a $1 million settlement, will now make single draw-down doses of naloxone available to first responders who request them. Once requesting agencies submit a brief application to the Louisiana Department of Justice (LADOJ), they will receive a voucher or vouchers that can be redeemed for naloxone at local pharmacies. The naloxone will come at no cost to the agency itself.

More information on the initiative is available online at www.ag.state.la.us/Article/2408/5.

Reports were given by member agencies, including a Louisiana Partners for Success grant where the members will find national ads as a reference for a multi-media campaign locally. The Action Plan was reviewed by the Prevention Connection Sub-Committees. Charlette Fornea, executive director of ADAPT, reported on a new budget and logic model for the Louisiana Partners for Success Grant. New staff members will be announced soon.

The next meeting will be held Tuesday, July 25, at 9:30 a.m. at Elizabeth Sullivan Memorial United Methodist Church, with a preliminary committee meeting at 8:30 a.m. Healthy refreshments will be served.

The coalition involves people who represent flood recovery, business, civic groups, health care professionals, law enforcement, media, parents, faith organizations, schools, state government agencies, substance abuse organizations, youth and youth-serving organizations. The coalition is open to all.

To find out more about the Washington Parish Coalition on Human Services, visit online at wpchs.weebly.com or like the coalition on Facebook at WPCHS. Find and follow the coalition on Twitter at twitter.com/WPCoalitionHS, or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/adaptincorporated.

This article was submitted by Gail Brigham, the treasurer of the Washington Parish Coalition on Human Services.