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Livingston Parish approves $15,000 for youth opioid-prevention camp and $351,000 for EMS equipment from settlement funds
Summary
The Livingston Parish Council unanimously approved two resolutions allocating opioid-settlement money: $15,000 to Students Against Destructive Decisions for a SADD summer camp and $351,000 to fire/EMS agencies for mechanical CPR machines and other resuscitation equipment.
The Livingston Parish Council on May 8 unanimously approved two separate allocations from the parish’s opioid-settlement funds: $15,000 to support a Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) summer camp and $351,000 to equip local fire and EMS crews with mechanical CPR devices, automated external defibrillators and related rescue gear.
Parish President Randy Delet told the council the settlement money was “to be spent on prevention, treatment, and other strategies,” and framed the SADD camp as an early prevention effort: “If you could teach 1 kid before they ever face their first pill, would you?” The resolution allocates $15,000 to cover staff, supplies and curriculum for a weeklong camp intended to educate students on opioid and fentanyl risks.
The council then approved a separate cooperative endeavor to use settlement funds for equipment for local first responders. A fire-service presenter said the mechanical CPR machines and other resuscitation devices “will absolutely help not only bring back some of these residents ... but also be able to return them neurologically intact.” He described mechanical devices as allowing continuous chest compressions during long transports and while other interventions proceed.
Both measures were presented as prevention and life-saving investments funded by proceeds from the Louisiana State/local government opioid litigation. The council recorded unanimous votes in favor of both allocations.
Why it matters: Parish officials said the money is restricted to opioid-related uses such as prevention and treatment; the SADD camp targets youth education and leadership, while the EMS purchase aims to raise survival chances for overdoses and cardiac arrests encountered by fire and EMS crews.
What’s next: The SADD camp is scheduled for June (dates listed in the resolution) and the fire-service equipment procurement will proceed through the parish purchasing process; speakers said further allotments of settlement funds are expected and officials plan to return to the council with additional requests.
