Homelessness In Louisiana

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Pages: 5

As a resident of the New Orleans, Louisiana community for over three decades, I have seen and noticed many issues affecting the city and surrounding communities. After speaking with Chris Gunther, a manager at the New Orleans Public Health Department, some of the issues currently affecting the community include mental health issues, healthcare for the homeless population who may also suffer with various mental illnesses and the opioid crisis. Addictions to legal and illegal opioids such as hydrocodone, codeine and fentanyl have been on a steady increase across the country for the last decade. Louisiana, which has seen its overdose death rate climb higher than the national average, in 2016 marked the first year in which overdose deaths outnumbered fatalities from homicides in some parishes. The numbers had doubled from the previous year (Clark, "Drug overdose deaths were 4 times the number of homicides in Jefferson Parish in 2017," n.d.). Some possible solutions to alleviate the opioid epidemic include coming up with new innovative treatments and facilities, trying a holistic medication approach, and …show more content…
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