NEWS RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

September 20, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FREE SESSION AT EAST BANK REGIONAL LIBRARY TO FOCUS ON PREVENTION, EDUCATION AND TREATMENT OF FENTANYL OVERDOSES

JEFFERSON, LA – Stop Fentanyl, a community group working to end fentanyl deaths in Jefferson Parish and Louisiana, will host a one-hour training session from 5 to 8:30 p.m., Monday, October 9, 2023 at the East Bank Regional Library (4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, LA 70001).

This presentation is free of charge and open to the public.

The Stop Fentanyl session is focused on prevention, education and treatment. The training includes administration of overdose reversal (Narcan), as well as connection to treatment options and community education. Bartenders, servers and other hospitality workers are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

Fatal fentanyl overdoses have increased sharply in Louisiana since 2019: In 2022, 64.9% of suspected drug-related fatalities in Louisiana involved fentanyl, according to post-mortem toxicology tests. That was up from 41.6% of fatalities involving fentanyl in 2019.

Fentanyl overdoses are the largest cause of death for people in Louisiana age 18-45, with more than 300 overdose deaths last year in Jefferson Parish alone.

Interested parties should e-mail stopfentanylla@gmail.com to sign up to attend this event, and to provide a reliable headcount regarding supplies.

 For more information regarding this event, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.

The Jefferson Parish Library system consists of 16 locations that stretch from the Lakeshore Branch on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain to the Grand Isle Branch just steps away from the Gulf of Mexico. The library system consists of two large regional libraries and seven branches on each side of the Mississippi River. The East Bank Regional Library (4747 West Napoleon Avenue, Metairie) serves as library headquarters. The Jefferson Parish Library is the second largest system in the state of Louisiana. More than 200 employees work for the Jefferson Parish Library including librarians, administration and support staff. For more information, contact the library at (504) 838-1100 or www.jefferson.lib.la.us.

For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.JeffParish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on social media (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777.

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Jefferson Parish Public Information Office 1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002 Jefferson, LA 70123

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Gretchen Hirt Gendron, PIO