More than 2,000 New Jerseyans Plan to Take to the Streets to Knock Out Opioid Abuse.

*BASKING RIDGE, NJ – *On Friday, October 6th, throughout New Jersey, thousands of moms, dads, prevention and treatment professionals, students and concerned residents will mobilize to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic impacting our state on the second annual Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day. Community in Crisis, a local grassroots movement focused on preventing overdose deaths and providing support in recovery, is asking for volunteers throughout Somerset Hills to join together and blanket the area with messaging that highlights the dangers of prescription pill abuse and the link between prescribed opioids and heroin abuse. Clodette Sabatelle, a lead volunteer on this initiative, is hoping to rally enough people to cover all towns in the area. “We had great success last year in our neighborhoods, hanging signs on front doors and engaging in healthy and productive conversations with our neighbors. This year, we hope to increase our impact by calling on local physicians and dentists with information on prescribing guidelines as well as local resources for those impacted by the disease. Additionally, we will be encouraging volunteers to come up with their own ideas, whether it’s having their local pizzeria put the handouts on pizza boxes or asking their dry cleaners to hang a sign on people’s dry cleaning, putting door hangers on cars in the train station or handing them out to people passing by. Volunteers can register at http://www.drugfreenj.org/knockoutvolunteers/” said Sabatelle.

In its second year, Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day increases understanding of the opioid crisis through a mobilization effort with a dual focus: educating physicians and raising awareness among New Jersey citizens and families. It is designed to bring attention to the opioid crisis facing the state and the steps residents can take to stem the epidemic. 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.

The following week, on Tuesday October 10th, from 7-9pm, a town hall meeting will be held in the Performing Arts Center at Bernards High School. Doors will open at 6:30pm. A panelist of experts, including Michael Robertson, Somerset County Prosecutor; Jody D’Agostini, Founder and Chair, Community in Crisis; Michael Gerardi, MD, Emergency Medical Associates; Gregg Benson – Clinical Consultation and Training Services; Michael Pittman, Outreach Coordinator, Humble Beginnings Recovery Centers, and Assemblyman Jack M. Ciattarelli will present and take questions from the audience. The event is free and all members of the community are encouraged to attend and to ‘have your voice heard, and be part of the solution to end opioid abuse in Somerset County.’ The event is sponsored by Partnership for a Drug-Free NJ, the Horizon Foundation of NJ, Community in Crisis, and the Home and School Associations of the Somerset Hills School District. Residents may sign up at www.knockoutopioidabuse.drugfreenj.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.According to the CDC, opioid pain relievers that are abused were most often obtained via prescription from physicians, and users of prescription drugs are 40 times more likely to use heroin. 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. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, legitimate opioid use before high school graduation is independently associated with a 33 percent increase in the risk of future opioid misuse after high school. Use of prescribed opioids before the 12th grade is independently associated with future opioid misuse among patients with little drug experience and who disapprove of illegal drug use.

Community in Crisis began in 2013 following the overdose deaths of two young adults in the Somerset Hills community. The organization, a coalition of community agencies, schools, churches and concerned citizens, offers bi-weekly support groups for families struggling with addiction, a community toolkit for statewide implementation, innovative educational opportunities in the school environment, medicine take-back days, town hall meetings and more. For more information or to volunteer, contact info@communityincrisis.org and visit www.communityincrisis.org.