January - May 2022

Suspected Overdose Deaths: 6

Naloxone Administrations: 24

Opioid Prescriptions: 15,579

Source: NJ office of Attorney General (NJCARES)

On June 3rd, a "Take Back Your Vape" event was held at Voorhees High School. Erin Cohen and Paige Ewing spent the day collecting vaping paraphernalia. Anyone who dropped off vaping material received a gift card and a chance to win a larger prize in a raffle. In addition, 300 students signed a banner to pledge to stay away from smoking and vaping and be tobacco free! Thank you to the students and staff at Voorhees! If you are interested in holding a "Take Back Your Vape" event, please contact Amanda.

School is over and families are vacationing, kids are in camp, parents are taking breaks from work. This month we focused on family time and the importance of taking that break to recharge and reconnect. Conversation cards are in both English and Spanish. Participants can win ShopRite gift cards just by completing a survey! Contact Wendy to learn more about the conversation cards for the family meals project.

According to the report authors and other experts, the stunning increase in alcohol and drug deaths in 2020 was exacerbated by: a continued rise in synthetic opioid and psychostimulant overdoses and the anxiety, stress, grief, disruption to substance misuse recovery programs, and financial hardship many individuals and families experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read the article here.

On Wednesday June 8th Prevention Resources in partnership with the Safe Communities Coalition, Drug-Free Task Force and Positive YOUth, held an eye opening and informative event where a cross section of community members gathered to address concerns in our community. There were over 80 members of our community in attendance. Each table was assigned a substance and was asked 3 questions:​

It was an opportunity to hear from our community and especially our youth and to gather perspectives on local issues. We were given positive feedback about the event and plan to continue these in the future.

Effective July 16, 2022, 988 will replace the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. It will operate 24/7. The guiding principle of 988 is that it ensures that individuals always have "someone to call, someone to come to them (mobile response), and somewhere to go" Learn more about it here

In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a plan to ban menthol products nationwide and NJ is moving forward to uphold that ban despite warnings of illegal sales. Read full article here

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. This year it is being held on August 2nd throughout Hunterdon County.