MONTVALE—The Borough Council has increased efforts to combat the opioid crisis by throwing its support behind the Bergen County Commissioners initiative that ensures all county and municipal facilities and parks are equipped with Narcan.
Officials say this critical, life-saving medicine, administered as a nasal spray, rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, making this initiative a vital part of the borough’s public health response to combat the opioid crisis, which includes heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications.
Weeks after the council passed a resolution in support of the initiative, Narcan/Naloxone has since been placed in all borough automated external defibrillator (AED) boxes and some first aid boxes around the borough. Narcan kits include the spray, instructions, a CPR face shield, and the county’s addiction support number.
The Department of Public Works building, three fire trucks, and fire department radio room have all been equipped with the life-saving medicine. Officials say the placement of Narcan in these boxes will significantly increase overall public health and safety for residents, particularly younger residents.
Moreover, 20 municipal personnel will receive related training through the Children’s Aid and Family Services Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources on June 6. This personnel will include all 16 full-time administrative staff, three members of the fire department, and the Office of Emergency Management coordinator, Frank DiPalma.
Library and part-time administrative staff could be tapped to participate as well. Classes are limited to 20, and Borough Administrator Joseph Voytus noted that a second training session will be scheduled if there is demand.
Voytus said that members of the Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Montvale Police Department have already received training in the use of Narcan. The borough is looking to fill the gaps and train workers who haven’t had access to previous training.
Council backs Tom Sullivan’s proposal
The Montvale Borough Council passed a resolution in support of the county’s initiative on March 26 after County Commissioner and Montvale resident Tom Sullivan spoke at the meeting on its benefits. In 2023, Sullivan, then chair of the Board of Commissioners, spearheaded the initiative, starting with all 62 Bergen County facilities, following a spate of fentanyl overdoses in the county.
In an email to Pascack Press, Sullivan explained that he plans to present this initiative to chambers of commerce so that local businesses can become equipped with Narcan as well.
“In a world where fentanyl lurks in every corner, prevention is paramount, and every life saved is a triumph. Combating the opioid epidemic requires not just action, but a shift in mindset. Eliminating stigma is vital, and by embracing ideas like this, we’re not just saving lives; we’re changing perceptions,” he said.
With Sullivan at the council meeting was Ellen Elias, executive vice president for community engagement and prevention at Children’s Aid and Family Services Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources.
She told us via email, “Training involves not only teaching about when and how to use Narcan properly but also the trends in opioid usage over time and the impact of fentanyl on the opioid epidemic and overdose fatalities.”
She said, “Our in-person training allows participants to engage with the trainer and ask specific questions they have. Results of surveys completed at the end of the program show that between the beginning and end of the program, there was greater than a 95% increase in awareness of where Narcan be accessed in the community, a more than 75% increase in understanding how Narcan affects the brain, and over 50% increase in comfort in administering Narcan.”
To Councilmember Theresa Sileo Cudequest’s question on the public outreach component of the plan, Sullivan and Elias explained that public outreach will be conducted through local websites, law enforcement, the board of health, and the school district.
Councilmember Annmarie Russo-Vogelsang stated the superintendent of Montvale Public Schools, Darren Peterson, has confirmed the district’s support.
Hills-Valley Coalition spreading the word
According to Jennifer Charnow, a coordinator of the Hills Valley Coalition, the creator of the Parent Academy program, and Woodcliff Lake’s Stigma Free coordinator, opioid overdose is a major public health crisis in the United States that affects countless individuals, families and communities.
The Hills Valley Coalition was established nearly 20 years ago to educate residents on substance abuse and promote stigma-free environments in Hillsdale, River Vale, Montvale and Woodcliff Lake.
Charnow told Pascack Press on May 7 that fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is significantly stronger than other opioids, such as morphine. This powerful drug is invisible when laced into other substances, so people are unaware they have ingested it. Tragically, she said, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl continue to be the main driver of opioid-involved deaths. As medicine such as Narcan is critical in reversing a fentanyl overdose, it is essential to equip public spaces with it.
Max’s Law
On Feb. 22, state Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) introduced legislation, “Max’s Law,” that would require schools in New Jersey to teach students about the dangers of fentanyl. The law is named in honor of 25-year-old Max Lenowitz, who died of fentanyl poisoning after taking a counterfeit Xanax pill. (See “The agony of losing a child” and “A mom warns on fentanyl,” Pascack Press, July 23 and 17, 2023, respectively.)