$100K To Help Burlington County In Opioid Battle

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County has received $100,000 from the New Jersey Department of Health to combat the substance abuse epidemic.

The county is using that money to form an Overdose Fatality Review Team that will perform confidential reviews of overdose deaths in the county, and the circumstances and contributing causes surrounding them, officials announced on Monday.

It will look to cut down on opioid-related deaths by analyzing data, identifying trends, and looking at ways to improve the systems currently in place.

It will then make recommendations about policies and programs, and suggest changes in law that would cut down on deaths and help people in danger of a fatal overdose.

Finally, it will help build better relationships between local stakeholders, officials said.

There were 164 fatal overdoses in Burlington County in 2019 and 149 in 2020, according to NJ CARES.

“Every overdose death is a tragedy and individual life stolen,” Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson said. “Families and friends are heartbroken from the loss. If we can save one life from what we learn from these tragedies and apply the information to improve our response and assistance programs, it is well worth it. By taking a hard look at these unique lives and the circumstances surrounding their addiction and death, we hope to better understand the epidemic here and come up with better ways to fight it. Our main goals are to save lives and help beat addiction.”

The county departments of Health and Human Services will oversee the review team, which will consist of representatives from the following partner agencies and organizations:

• Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office
• Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office
• Burlington County Sheriff’s Department
• Burlington County Department of Corrections
• New Jersey Treatment Incentive Program
• Oaks Integrated Care
• Virtua Health
• Beacon of Hope, Inc.
• Legacy Treatment Services
• Solstice Counseling & Wellness Centers

“The coronavirus pandemic is not the only health crisis impacting Burlington County. We cannot forget that addiction is still claiming lives at an alarming rate,” Burlington County Health Director Dr. Herb Conaway said. “This review team will help us pool several resources together and develop better strategies for responding to this crisis.”

“We are eager to participate in this project to learn more about the lives and deaths of the overdose victims in our county,” said Prosecutor Scott Coffina. “We expect the cases the team reviews will shed light on potential missed opportunities for interventions with these individuals, so we might be able to help others avoid such tragic ends. Anything we can do to save a life and spare a family the agony of losing a loved one to addiction is well worth our time and effort.”

The announcement of the formation of the team follows the announcement over the summer that the county was launching a Recovery Center in the Burlington County Human Services Building in Westampton. Read more here: Recovery Center Opens Amid Uptick In Burlington County OD Deaths

The Recovery Center serves as a so-called "one-stop" location where individuals can obtain peer support and information about treatment programs, recovery support services and community resources.

It also serves as a location for wellness activities and classes, and for Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and activities.

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office runs the Operation Helping Hand and Straight … to Treatment programs. Both programs work with local police departments to help people struggling with addiction enter treatment.

The Burlington County Sheriff’s Department partners with the County Human Services staff to operate the Hope One vehicle, which goes into our communities to help link residents with recovery specialists and treatment facilities. Hope One also provides training on the administration of overdose reversal drugs.

“In Burlington County, we recognize the extent of the addiction crisis and the impacts it has on our county’s families and communities,” Hopson said. “People are dying from a disease, not a moral failing. We are fully committed to helping those in need get the help and the support they require to recover.”