COURT HOUSE — On Oct. 6, New Jersey legislators, concerned citizens, impacted families and substance abuse professionals will lead an effort to raise awareness about the opioid abuse epidemic impacting our state in the second annual Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day.
The statewide single-day initiative will mobilize volunteers to distribute vital information about the potential for dependency on prescribed pain medicine and its link to heroin abuse rates in our state. The effort will have a dual focus: educating physicians and raising awareness among New Jersey residents and families.
Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day is a project of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, in cooperation with the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Addiction Services; and the Community Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Morris, with help from thousands of volunteers across the state.
More than 2,000 volunteers participated in last year’s Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day, distributing crucial information on safe prescribing practices to physicians and dentists, as well opioid abuse prevention messages with information on the link between prescribed pain medications and heroin misuse throughout communities. The New Jersey Senate and General Assembly responded following the first event in 2016 by unanimously approving joint legislation designating October 6 in perpetuity as Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day in New Jersey.
Teams of volunteers across the state will visit physician and dental offices in their community, equipped with information including a door hanger PSA and a copy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for prescribing. Focus will be placed on the following action steps:
• Encouraging prescribers to discuss the dangers of opioids when they are prescribed, including the risk of dependency and possible alternatives that might exist
• Sharing copies of the CDC prescribing guidelines to each prescriber visited and encouraging prescribers to follow the guidelines
• Providing information on local organizations and resources focusing on the opioid abuse epidemic for physicians to share with their patients
Teams of volunteers also will be mobilized to place door hangers on the front doors of homes in their communities. These signs will contain an opioid abuse prevention public service announcement with information on the link between prescribed opioids and heroin abuse.
Opioid pain relievers that are abused are most often obtained via prescription from physicians, and users of prescription drugs are 40 times more likely to use heroin, according to the CDC. More than 33,000 people in the United States died of opioid overdoses in 2015, and the number of such deaths quadrupled from 1999 to 2015.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 6, 2017, in communities throughout New Jersey.
For more information: Visit drugfreenj.org/knockoutvolunteers. Interview and photo opportunities with volunteers mobilized throughout communities can be arranged.