The First Evangelist Baptist Church in New Orleans is providing Narcan, a drug that counters opioid overdoses, to its churchgoers in an effort to save lives.
Pastor Reginald Landry, a former drug addict, is personally invested in helping others overcome drug problems.
Landry said, “When I see a drug addict it comes to mind that that could still be me.”
“So I have a passion for those that are back in that area, because you have to have help to come up. We all fall,” he contiuned.
“The Church has always been the backbone to the community. People always turn to the pastors, so we are implementing that. That was a part of my idea to implement it to the churches,” explained the pastor.
“In order to do ministry, you have to be mindful and careful of people and the Bible tells us we have to help one another. We have to love thy neighbor as we love thyself,” advised Landry.
Louisiana has the third-highest rate of drug-related deaths in the US, and Dr. Charles Preston, the Coroner for St. Tammany Parish, emphasizes the need for wider access to Narcan due to the severity of the fentanyl crisis.
Dr. Preston said, “Even if the person taking it is not an opioid addict, nobody in their family is an opioid addict. It is becoming so common that we see people collapsing in public and so first aid has turned into step one, call 911 step two, administer Narcan.”
Landry and Dr. Preston are working with other pastors and ministers to address addiction in their community.
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