The New Orleans Mission is at full capacity almost every night, filing the 232 beds at its New Orleans location, along with the 93 beds at its Lacombe and Hammond facilities.
Kevin Gardere, the executive development director of the Bridge House/Grace House, said about 31 percent of the 808 people served at the center in last year were under 30 years old, with half of those people addicted to opioids.
“That wasn’t the case when I came through the center in 2001,” Mr. Gardere told Nola.com. “The drug of choice now is heroin, and it is everywhere.”
New Orleans also faces a shortage of chemical detox beds, with only 18 in the city for patients seeking treatment. The Odyssey House, which contains the 18 beds, is building a facility that will include 47 medically supported detox beds and 100 beds for short-term addiction treatment.
Last year, 166 opioid overdose deaths occurred in New Orleans.
More articles on opioids:
68% of Americans would administer naloxone to overdose victim, poll finds
What hospitals can learn from California EDs treating addiction on demand
CDC’s national hospital care survey collects important data to inform the opioid epidemic
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