NJ YMCAs Drug Prevention Initiative

Freehold, NJ – November 13, 2017 – YMCA of Western Monmouth County, a member of the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance, in collaboration with The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey and Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, is introducing a new initiative designed to encourage and support parents in having meaningful and effective conversations with their children to prevent drug use.

Launching this month, this effort will include information regarding substance abuse, tools such as conversation starters, and resources where families may obtain additional information and counsel. Materials will be available at Freehold and Old Bridge branches of the YMCA of Western Monmouth County as well as YMCAs throughout New Jersey, and on the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance website.

As a charitable organization, the Y is focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Supporting parents and the community in their efforts to raise healthy, confident, connected children is core to the Y’s mission to help all people grow in spirit, mind and body.

In New Jersey, high rates of opioid addiction have claimed an estimated 5,000 lives in the past decade, with more people dying in New Jersey in 2016 from drug overdoses than from guns, car accidents and suicides, combined. According to the Office of the State Medical Examiner of New Jersey, there were between 2,090 and 2,250 drug-related deaths overall in New Jersey in 2016, up from 1,587 in 2015. New Jersey also has the sixth highest rate in the nation of visits to the emergency room due to opioid abuse. And naloxone, a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose, has been administered over 25,000 times in New Jersey since 2014.

“The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey has always encouraged communication between children and their parents and caregivers because it is the most effective way to prevent substance misuse and abuse. With the epidemic levels of opioid abuse impacting our state, the time is now to educate and raise awareness among parents and caregivers about the potential for dependency of prescribed medicine, as well as trends of substances that are abused,” explained Angelo M. Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “Communication between parents and their children is crucial if we are to make inroads in preventing this epidemic and stemming substance misuse in our state.”

“The path from drug use to drug addiction can be quick and intense. Parents need to address it head on with their children. Prevention is not passive. It is an active, earnest undertaking and it starts early and requires regular reinforcement,” said David M. Carcieri, president of New Jersey YMCA State Alliance. “We’ve seen the devastating impact of addiction on families in the communities we serve throughout New Jersey. We believe we can help and we see this role as supporter and community convener as a perfect fit with our mission.” The plan is multi-phased, with the goal of providing additional assets in the form of print, video and social media materials to make accessible effective resources for families.

“We all know that one person can make a big difference in the lives of children and no one has more of an impact than a parent,” said Jonathan R. Pearson, executive director of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. “Drug addiction doesn’t discriminate and that’s why every parent needs to educate and empower their kids by talking to them about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. A parent’s love, support and guidance is critical to putting a child on a lifelong path to success, health and happiness.”

For more information about this drug prevention initiative, visit www.ymcanj.org/tcp.

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About The YMCA of Western Monmouth County

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. We are a diverse association of men, women and children of all ages and from all walks of life, joined by a shared commitment to nurture the potential of all people. For over 115 years, the YMCA of Western Monmouth County has the long standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. For more information, go to www.ymcanj.org.

About The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is committed to working alongside those who can help us improve our neighbors’ health, inform their health decisions and inspire them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. The Foundation’s funding pillars are Caring, Connecting and Creating. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is the sole member of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, both of which are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information please visit www.Community.HorizonBlue.com.

About Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey

Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $70 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 166 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.