BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry today announced a new initiative to help educate the public on dangers and responsibilities associated with opioids. 

Partnering with the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance, Attorney General Landry created the Opioid Abuse Prevention Fund. The fund will pay for the “End the Epidemic LA” informational campaign.

“Opioid abuse has taken the lives of too many of our children, parents, neighbors, and co-workers. We hope that End the Epidemic LA will assist in the reduction of opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose,” Landry said.

Nationally, drug overdoses have surpassed automobile accidents as the leading cause of injury-related death for Americans between the ages of 25 and 64. Louisiana is one of eight states to have more opioid prescriptions than residents and in New Orleans overdose deaths are outpacing homicides.

“When Attorney General Landry’s office brought this partnership opportunity to us, we immediately recognized the opportunity to deliver more pre-hospital care albeit in a non-traditional manner,” said Donna Newchurch, CEO of Ambulance Alliance. “The ultimate beneficiaries of this partnership are the citizens we serve daily.”

The website, www.EndTheEpidemicLA.org, is live and will serve as a resource for people looking for information, assistance, and guidance.