New death data leads New Orleans to promote addiction treatment

local drug addiction rehabilitation clinics that needed to expand outpatient and inpatient programs or adopt medication-assisted treatment.

Now, detox services for substance use disorders and different options of treatment for drug abuse are other resources available to the residents of New Orleans, whether or not they are insured. But opening up the conversation about substance abuse and the benefits of drug addiction treatment may be the first step in curbing the opioid epidemic.

“Not too long ago, substance use disorders were not something that we saw talked about publicly too much, and to this day, there’s quite a lot of stigma,” Kanter concluded. “Substance use disorders are, in my view, no different than any other medical illness — no different from diabetes or high-blood pressure. Yet I know, we all know, that doesn’t always feel that way. People who suffer from addiction are stigmatized in a way that people who suffer from other medical ailments are not, and we are working really hard to change that. It starts with just being able to speak publicly about this, so people who do suffer realize they’re no different than anyone else who has a medical illness. They should feel supported and encouraged to get treatment because there’s good treatment out there. It works.”

Livia Areas-Holmblad
Author: Livia Areas-Holmblad

Livia Holmblad is an editor at Addiction Now and covers breaking news, features and everything in between. She moved to SoCal after living in NYC for about 10 years, where she worked for VICE and SinoVision as a writer, editor, host, producer, and director. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Contact Livia at liviah@addictionnow.com

Summary
New death data leads New Orleans to promote addiction treatment
Article Name
New death data leads New Orleans to promote addiction treatment
Description
A report released last week by the New Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office shows there were more drug overdose deaths in New Orleans in 2016 than murders. Dr. Jeffrey Rouse, the New Orleans Coroner since 2014, stated that last year denoted “likely the first time that drug-related deaths have surpassed homicides in the history of New Orleans.” He also urged that all drug courts in the state focus on prioritizing addiction treatment instead of punishment for people who are struggling with substance use disorders after calling upon regional “leaders at all levels to support and expand drug diversion programs.”
Author
Livia Areas-Holmblad
Publisher Name
Addiction Now