Mother Opens Forked River Center To Combat Overdoses: Report

All three of Donna Catlow's sons have been treated for drug addiction, so she found a way to make positive change. Catlow opened Xodus, a Forked River community center that helps people continue recovery from addiction after treatment, CBS New York reports.

The workshops focus on long-term treatment, including nutrition, employment and education, CBS New York reports. The program is free, thanks partly to state funding, according to CBS New York.

Over 3,000 New Jersey residents died of drug overdose in 2018 for the first time ever – a 15 percent increase over the previous year, according to the office of Attorney General. Ocean County overdoses in 2018 increased 13.6 over the previous year to 217, according to OAG.

Read More: NJ Drug OD Deaths Hit 3,000 For First Time: These Areas Hit Hard

Catlow's son, Joel Pomales, is now 11 months in recovery, a business owner and a married father, CBS New York reports.

“If you need to learn how to write a résumé, getting back into college," Catlow told CBS New York. "When my son wanted to go back he had no idea how to do that."

With reporting from Tom Davis, Patch Staff.

Photo: Shutterstock.