February 6, 2024
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New Jersey's Naloxone 365 program, announced in 2022 and launched in January of 2023, aims to reduce fatal overdoses by offering naloxone, an opioid reversal drug, to individuals aged 14 and older. Valerie Mielke, MSW, Assistant Commissioner, New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), was quoted on njspotlightnews.com saying, "Since we launched this program in January of last year, we have issued more than 132,000 doses of naloxone . . . This gives individuals a second chance - that when they experience an overdose, they have a friend or loved one who is nearby who can administer the naloxone; it literally saves lives." John Power, pharmacist and Owner of Power's Pharmacy in Browns Mills, NJ, was also quoted, saying, "Seven years ago, I lost my son Christopher, and I've chosen to get involved with this and try to help people really in his memory. Because really, Christopher is no different than many of the other people who are being lost. And we're losing really our best and our brightest because I still think stigma plays a large role in opioid use disorder." Click here to read more on this story, and click here for more information on the Naloxone 365 program. |
