New initiative being rolled out as part of battle against opioid crisis in EBR

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A new initiative is being rolled out in East Baton Rouge Parish as part of the ongoing battle against the opioid crisis.

Officials said the new initiative is called Peers on Point and is being rolled out by the Set Free Indeed Ministry in collaboration with the Baton Rouge Police Department.

Peers on Point will quickly provide on-site support to someone struggling with opioid addiction and that person’s family, officials said. They added that a person will also be offered immediate transport to a treatment center. If a person refuses treatment, crews will offer recovery resources, Narcan medication, and fentanyl strips as a form of support.

The announcement about Peers on Point comes as Baton Rouge continues to make headway through the When You Are Ready program, the flagship program of the Set Free Indeed Ministry.

Tonja Myles spearheads the When You Are Ready program. She and her team of eight peer support specialists have worked to battle the crisis.

Officials said that since the When You Are Ready program launched more than two years ago, crews have visited more than 870 locations in or around overdose “hot spots.” The crews have interacted with about 300 people a month, about a third of whom suffer from substance abuse and mental health issues.

The team behind When You Are Ready has also given out 1,245 Narcan kits, 500 fentanyl strips, and thousands of printed materials with details about treatment and recovery resources.

“As we review the data and witness the impact of the opioid crisis on our community, it’s evident that strategic collaboration and evidence-based interventions are making a difference,” said East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “Our focus is clear: to prioritize the health and safety of our residents.”

For more details about the When You Are Ready Program, click here.

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