Imagine something affecting your state that surpasses the amount of deaths caused by homicide, suicide, motor vehicle accidents, and AIDS combined. That is what is happening in New Jersey. Despite numerous efforts by the state, the opioid epidemic is still on the rise. In 2015, a study conducted by New Jersey advanced media states that, “the per-capita rate of 8.3 heroin-related deaths per 100,000 people is more than triple the national rate reported by the Centers for Disease Control” (Hochman, 2016). The highest amount of affected people are located in Ocean County. Current estimates done by Seranno (2016) state that 160 people risk losing their lives to overdose in Ocean County this year.
Current efforts against overdose in New Jersey …show more content…
The Department of Human Services initiated this pilot program in 2016. This program hires former opioid addicts and overdose survivors, who are now recovery experts, to speak to current overdose survivors while they are still in the emergency room. The recovery experts were all saved by timely administration of Narcan. Narcan is a safe and effective way to reverse an overdose of opioids (Clark, 2014). In New Jersey, stores like Walgreens and CVS are planning to start providing Narcan without a prescription by the end of
Current efforts against overdose in New Jersey …show more content…
The Department of Human Services initiated this pilot program in 2016. This program hires former opioid addicts and overdose survivors, who are now recovery experts, to speak to current overdose survivors while they are still in the emergency room. The recovery experts were all saved by timely administration of Narcan. Narcan is a safe and effective way to reverse an overdose of opioids (Clark, 2014). In New Jersey, stores like Walgreens and CVS are planning to start providing Narcan without a prescription by the end of