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LSU Health tells Caddo Parish commission opioid-settlement funds supported psilocybin trials and wastewater research
Summary
LSU Health Shreveport told the commission its $1.5 million opioid‑settlement grant funded seven projects — including psilocybin trials and wastewater testing — and that the work helped secure federal grants and influenced the unanimous passage of Louisiana Senate Bill 43, a presenter said.
LSU Health Shreveport staff told the Caddo Parish Commission that $1.5 million in opioid‑settlement seed funding has supported seven active projects and 29 clinicians, trainees and scientists across the region.
"You gave us $1,500,000 over three years," Lisa Babin, chief of staff for government affairs and communications at LSU Health Shreveport, told commissioners. She said the funds were treated as seed money that helped the health system secure additional federal grants and equipment funding.
The presentation highlighted research the hospital said is already producing data used by lawmakers. "Senate Bill 43 … passed unanimously," Babin said, adding that the bill positions Louisiana to lead in new medical-research and biotechnology approaches that address opioid and veteran mental‑health needs.
Dr. Kevin Renee, introduced by Babin as a colleague working on the projects, described experimental and clinical work in Caddo Parish, including trials of psychedelic‑assisted therapies such as psilocybin for treatment‑resistant neuropsychiatric illness and programs pairing transcranial magnetic stimulation with other modalities. "This psychedelic modality seems to be incredibly promising," Dr. Renee told the commission.
Renee also summarized local wastewater testing, saying it shows very high methamphetamine signals. "Sadly, Caddo Parish in Shreveport has some of the highest methamphetamine levels of anywhere in the world," he said. He and Babin urged commissioners that wastewater results be combined with other data (emergency‑room records, crime‑lab data, behavioral‑health reporting) before making operational decisions.
Commissioners questioned how to turn those data into treatment rather than enforcement. Commissioner Rob Burrell asked which two factors are the top drivers of methamphetamine use; Renee recommended expanding treatment access and increasing economic opportunity, citing international examples where decriminalization and social supports correlated with improved outcomes.
Babin and Renee said the long‑term goal is to package multi‑state data for Food and Drug Administration review so therapies can become reimbursable through Medicaid, which would allow broader, equitable access. "We don't turn anybody away because of temporary economic circumstances," Renee said, noting the importance of FDA approval for scale.
The presenters offered to provide detailed reports and invited commissioners to visit the research facilities and treatment sites. Commissioners thanked LSU Health for the update and requested contact information and efficacy data for future oversight and budgetary review.
The commission did not take formal action during the presentation; staff said they will continue to provide regular reports on outcomes and grant spending.
