By Gabby Jimenez
The Advocate
BATON ROUGE, La. — Overdose deaths in Baton Rouge have been slowly declining after a massive, yearslong surge, and things are on track to get even better in 2024.
Just a decade ago, East Baton Rouge Parish saw 66 overdoses for the entire year. Deaths steadily increased since 2014 and spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking at 311 overdoses in 2021.
But the numbers have been on a slow decline since then, with 296 in 2022 and 289 in 2023, the parish coroner’s records show.
Now, as of July 22, 110 overdose deaths have been reported in Baton Rouge, with more cases pending toxicology results, according to the parish coroner’s website.
Still, overdoses continue to far outpace homicides in the parish. At the end of July, 73 homicides had been reported in the parish since the start of the year, according to Advocate records.
“Hopefully we’re coming out of the epidemic that we were in,” District Attorney Hillar Moore said of overdoses.
Widespread improvement
Certain ZIP codes have persisted as overdose hot spots for the parish, but data shows even the deadliest areas are seeing decreases.
Before the pandemic, the majority of overdoses were reported in the 70816 ZIP code, which covers a corridor of hotels and motels that have seen an inflated number of EMS overdose calls over the years. According to Moore, the area has seen a 38% decline from the year before.
The ZIP codes 70806 and 70805 have also seen drops, while 70802 is up by a single death.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is often laced in other drugs, continues to be the cause of a vast majority of overdoses in the parish. Fentanyl is significantly more potent than other drugs and can be fatal even in small doses.
In 2019, nearly 51% of people who overdosed in the parish had fentanyl in their system. In 2024, that number increased to almost 87% as of early August.
Data shows Black men between the ages of 26 to 39 have seen the largest overall increases in fatal overdoses since fentanyl hit the parish.
Moore emphasized the impact local law enforcement has had on arresting fentanyl dealers. This year, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office has seized 995 pressed fentanyl pills and 2.86 pounds of fentanyl as of late July. Combined, the drugs equate to 13,968 lethal doses, according to a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman.
“The way drugs are now, they’re changing,” local advocate Tonja Myles said. “We’re seeing most drugs now laced with fentanyl like never before.”
‘Giving them time’
Even as local authorities are working to crack down on fentanyl, Myles believes it will take everyone coming together — not just law enforcement — to continue bringing numbers down.
In 2020, Myles launched the When You Are Ready initiative to provide resources to areas in the parish most affected by overdoses. When someone calls in an overdose, Myles and her growing team of peer support specialists accompany law enforcement to the scene. If the call is nonfatal, the specialists will speak with the person to discuss treatment and resources available and also offer support to family members.
When the peer support specialists aren’t on call, Myles said they are canvassing high-risk ZIP codes every day to push out resources, following up with people struggling with substance abuse disorder and offering training on naloxone, often referred to as Narcan, a lifesaving medication that can quickly reverse an opioid overdose.
While some argue that handing out naloxone can encourage further substance abuse, Myles said the goal is to keep more people alive until they are ready for treatment.
“If someone was having an issue with high blood pressure, we would recommend medication for them. Why not someone who’s suffering from addiction?” Myles said. “If it’s something that’s going to help them detox, then why not? ... We’re not giving people a license to use; we’re giving them time to live.”
Gjvar Payne, executive director of Capitol Area Reentry Program, said he has seen an increase in the number of people using naloxone, which he attributes to the decline in deaths.
“During the pandemic, where everybody was using at home and they were isolated and using alone, you didn’t have a lot of people that could intervene at that point, and so by the time paramedics or help came, it was unfortunately too late,” Payne said. “We just could not, and we did not have access to the naloxone and Narcan in the communities.”
The “Be Safe” Syringe Service Program, a harm reduction initiative of the Capitol Area Reentry Program, provides sterile syringes and safe disposal of syringes and gives out wound care kits, hygiene kits, Fentanyl testing strips and other resources for free. According to Payne, the program has given out 50,000 doses of Narcan and naloxone each year.
Payne said stigma plays a large part in preventing people from seeking help. By bringing awareness to the problem and normalizing being education and carrying of naloxone, he believes there could be fewer fatal overdoses in the future.
“The more and more we villainize and stigmatize people, the more and more we lose those folks, and that’s not what we should be about,” Payne said. “We should be about embracing and supporting and educating our human beings, our fellow citizens.”
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