MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners has declared Thursday, September 24, as “Save a Life Day” in Morris County, highlighting a significant decline in fatal overdoses and the work being done to better understand overdose deaths and prevent future loss of life.
During the board’s public meeting on Wednesday, September 23, Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw presented a framed proclamation to Stephanie Gorman, assistant health officer with the Morris County Division of Public Health; Ashley LaPaglia, the Morris County Overdose Fatality Review Team coordinator with Prevention is Key (PIK); and Patrice Reilly, director of Prevention Services at PIK. They were joined by Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, members of the prosecutor’s office leadership staff and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon.
“Save a Life Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about opioid overdose prevention and the importance of having naloxone, also known as Narcan, available and knowing how to use it,” said Director Shaw. “The progress we are seeing reflects the work of many agencies and organizations across Morris County, and the continued effort to understand what is behind these deaths and how we can prevent them.”
Naloxone, or Narcan, is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.
Morris County has seen a steady decline in fatal overdoses over the past nine years, including a 66 percent decline last year alone. The county’s overdose death rate last year was 2.9 deaths per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate in the state, according to data from the New Jersey Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner.
“Fatal drug overdoses in Morris County are declining,” Sheriff Gannon said at the county’s annual Overdose Awareness Day ceremony on August 31. “It tells us that our collective efforts, education, outreach, treatment and support are making a difference. But it also reminds us that our work is far from over. Every single loss is one too many.”
A key component of the county’s overdose response is the Morris County Overdose Fatality Review Team, launched six years ago through a partnership between the county Division of Public Health and PIK, with funding from the New Jersey Department of Health. PIK is a nonprofit community organization that provides substance abuse prevention and addiction recovery support services.
The Overdose Fatality Review Team meets monthly to confidentially review fatal overdose cases, identify patterns and gaps in services, and develop recommendations for prevention and intervention.
“We actually held a case review meeting today,” LaPaglia said during the commissioners’ public meeting. “Although it’s sad work to be doing, it’s work that needs to be done.”
LaPaglia also said toxicology results reviewed by the team show that overdose deaths involve individuals using a combination of substances, with fentanyl appearing in virtually every case.
According to Prosecutor Carroll, his office is seeing changes in the local drug supply, including a rise in cocaine and the continued presence of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other synthetic substances.
“We’re also seeing the rise of xylazine, which is another synthetic drug — a horse tranquilizer — that is killing people. And Narcan does not work on that,” said Prosecutor Carroll.
“We’re researching this, and we’re dealing with it,” he continued, thanking the Overdose Fatality Review Team for its work to prevent overdose deaths in the county.
The county’s overdose response includes the Sheriff’s Office Hope One and Hope Hub programs, the Hope Wing at the Morris County Correctional Facility, and Navigating Hope, a mobile outreach partnership between the Morris County Department of Human Services and Family Promise of Morris County. The programs connect residents with treatment, mental health services, benefits and other resources.
Since its launch nine years ago, Hope One has made approximately 77,000 community contacts and provided 14,886 trainings on the emergency use of naloxone, and through those trainings has recorded 196 lives saved. Hope One has become a national model for addressing drug addiction and overdose and has been replicated in nine other New Jersey counties.
Save a Life Day is observed nationally on the fourth Thursday of September to raise awareness about opioid overdose prevention and expand access to naloxone. The Commissioners’ proclamation encourages residents to learn how to recognize and respond to an overdose, raise awareness about prevention, and connect individuals and families with treatment and recovery resources.
