Terrebonne Parish coroner outlines intervention program and asks council to consider funding on future agenda

Dr. Patrick Walker, identified in the meeting as the Terrebonne Parish coroner, used his March 26 time during public comments to describe services provided by the coroner’s office and to request parish funding for a program described as Terrebonne Intervention and Prevention Services (TIPS), which addresses opioid-related responses in the parish.

Walker described a range of coroner-office activities beyond autopsies, including order protective custody (OPC) paperwork and coordination with law enforcement and hospitals for involuntary psychiatric evaluations and other responses. He introduced staff members and the office manager, Helen Boudreaux, who explained how the OPC paperwork process works and how the coroner’s office and law enforcement coordinate welfare checks or involuntary transport to the hospital when a person is suicidal or poses a danger to others.

Walker asked the council to consider funding for the TIPS program; during the presentation he said the office has made administrative upgrades, obtained additional vehicles and is relocating to the former library building. Council members questioned whether the request should be handled as a formal agenda item rather than during public comment. Several council members and staff recommended the coroner coordinate with the council clerk to submit the request for a future general-business agenda so it can be reviewed in detail with supporting documentation, staffing lists and budget estimates.

Council discussion at the meeting made clear no funding decision was made that night and that the council prefers to see a formal agenda item that includes the program's structure, staffing, costs and how the proposed program would interact with law enforcement and hospital partners. The coroner accepted the recommendation to return with a fully developed agenda presentation.