May 2023 • Volume XXVIII

January - February 28, 2023

Suspected Overdose Deaths: 1

Naloxone Administrations: 15

Opioid Prescriptions: 5,863

Source: NJ office of Attorney General (NJCARES)

May 7-13, 2023

Click here to learn more about SAMHSA's National Prevention Week

Member Spotlight: Peggy Dowd

This month we spotlight Peggy Dowd who represents the faith sector. Peggy's relationships within the faith community helps the Drug-Free Task Force to connect to religious leaders and members of local churches & temples. Click this link to learn more about Peggy!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Talking to your loved ones about mental health is tough & addressing it with your children can often be a conversation parents avoid. Now more than ever, the importance of dropping the stigma and creating a positive, inclusive environment is at the forefront of the awareness campaign. Check out below, some conversation starter questions to ask your kids:

How are you feeling today?
What concerns do you have about school, friends, activities?
Has anything happened that upsets you or makes you feel uncomfortable?
What are things you do to relieve stress and anxiety?
How can I/we help?

Opioid prescriptions and suicide

Is there a correlation?

A recent study out of the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests opioid prescription rates and suicide risk appear to be closely related. As prescription rates decrease, so does suicide risk. Mark Olfson, MD, MPHa professor of psychiatry, medicine and law at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City said, “We found that regions with the greatest decline in people filling opioid prescriptions also tended to have the greatest decrease in suicide deaths, this suggests restraining opioid prescribing helped lower risk of suicide.”

Click this lin k to read more from the U.S. News article.

Safety debate - Alcohol vs. Marijuana

With marijuana acceptance & use on the rise, the debate as to which is safer, alcohol or marijuana, is amplified. What's not up for debate are heightened concerns when it comes to driving under the influence as both alcohol and marijuana pose a significant threat to the safety of everyone in the community, especially our youth.

Click on this link to learn more about what the experts are saying on this topic.

Thank you to our Hunterdon County High Schools,

libraries and businesses for supporting the

'Parents Who Host Lose The Most' initiative!

UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Celebrate Mothers

Mother's Day Brunch

Harvest Family Success Center

Thursday, May 11th

10:30am-12:00pm

RSVP required by May 5th - call 908-237-0465

Join our partners at Hunterdon Health in their Healthy Workforce Initiative by walking with us on Friday May 5th. There are 3 locations to join in throughout the county.

Virtual Naloxone Training

June 6th, 2023

6:00PM-7:00PM

Registration required

Contact Matteo Giles if interested

Harvest is seeking youth volunteers for a program we are hosting on May 11th from 3-5 pm at the Flemington Presbyterian Church. This event will be a food distribution/cooking class where youth will be able to assist families in getting the food they need.

Any questions should be forwarded to Aman da Gerko. These hours can count for anything and if the youth need something signed off, staff would be happy to do so. All youth to age 22 is welcome to volunteer!