East Windsor Hosts Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Sept. 18

EAST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, NJ — East Windsor Township will host a Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall in a few weeks. The town hall will take place at East Windsor Senior Center, 40 Lanning Boulevard, on Monday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Speakers will include East Windsor Mayor Janice S. Mironov; Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri; Tammy Leigh, Manager of Emergency Services, RWJ./Barnabas Health Systems; Assemblyman Daniel Benson; Barbara Sprechman, Prevention Coalition of Mercer County, and representatives of various groups including Recovery Advocates and NJ Addiction Recovery Public Advocacy Program.

“Opioid abuse has risen dramatically as a growing public health emergency in all of our communities across the state and nation,” Mironov said. “As so many individuals and families have and will be impacted by opiate abuse and addiction, it is important to help raise awareness of this growing health crisis and to provide support to those battling its effects. This event is an opportunity for citizens to demonstrate their unity in formulating strategies to fight this disease.”

Mironov urges everyone “to attend, to join township officials and other residents to hear advocates and professionals, to have your voice heard and be part of the solution to end opioid abuse in our community.”

“This event is a great opportunity for our residents to become better educated on the risks and signs of abuse and to learn more about the treatment options available to those suffering from addiction. We must work together as a community to educate our citizens about the dangers of opiate abuse and support those suffering from this addiction and their families,” East Windsor Council Member Peter V. Yeager, Coordinator of the East Windsor Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse, said.

It is open to everyone, and will include panels and presentations on the epidemic as seen through public health and law enforcement perspectives, overview of responses through prevention strategies and legislative approaches, and challenges to treatment and recovery, as well as information on local East Windsor initiatives. There will be a Q&A following the formal presentation.

In 2015, more than 33,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose, an average of about 91 deaths per day, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Patch file photo