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BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
Englewood, New Jersey — The opioid crisis in America is still looming large, with no sign that it is slowing down. Even though legislators and law enforcement officials are searching fervently for ways to stem the flow and accessibility of opioids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that an unprecedented number of people – 64,070 – died from drug overdoses in 2016, a 21 percent increase over the year before.
To put that number in perspective, the Police Executive Research Forum stated that more Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016 than during the entire Vietnam War (58,200).
Approximately three-fourths of all drug overdose deaths are now caused by opioids, a class of drugs that includes prescription painkillers as well as heroin and potent synthetic versions such as fentanyl.
Of the people who died from drug overdoses in 2016, 2,221 were from New Jersey, a 40 percent increase from the previous year, as reported by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
To address this opioid overdose crisis, a New Jersey based organization called Morris County Prevention is Key has been taking proactive measures.
Morris County Prevention Is Key is a community-focused non-profit organization providing science-based substance prevention education programs, professional development training, advocacy, information and referral services, and maintains the county’s most extensive resource center with up-to-date materials that address issues of substance abuse, violence and alcoholism.
Morris County Prevention Is Key works closely with CARES, The Center for Addiction Recovery Education & Success (caresnj.org), a peer to peer, volunteer-based, recovery-oriented sanctuary located in Rockaway.
In 2015, Morris County Prevention Is Key received a financial boost, thanks to the drug Naloxone (Narcan), a drug that was approved for use in 1971 by the Food and Drug Administration. When a dose of Narcan in the form of a nasal spray is delivered in a timely manner, it has been effective in rescuing victims of opioid overdose.
In 2015, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office reported that 170 people who had overdosed on opioids were saved by police using Narcan.
Given the success of Narcan, that same year, Morris County Prevention Is Key received funding for its Opioid Prevention Project from New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse that was initiated by Gov. Chris Christie.
With the support of municipal alliances, Morris County Prevention Is Key experts have been giving presentations on opioid overdose rescue in local communities. They show people that have a friend, loved one or family member at risk how to recognize signs and symptoms of overdose and how to administer Narcan. At the conclusion of the program, they give these newly-trained lay responders Narcan kits to keep on hand. Participants are required to fill out official forms, but their information remains confidential.
Between July 2017 and January 2018, Morris County Prevention is Key trained 1,066 people in seven counties, including Bergen County, in opioid overdose prevention and rescue, and gave out 943 Narcan kits.
Narcan training comes to Englewood
The Englewood Municipal Alliance recently reached out to Morris County Prevention Is Key to conduct an opioid rescue presentation in Englewood. The Englewood Municipal Alliance is the community’s liaison to and partner with the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
On Feb. 22, Morris County Prevention Is Key held its first training program sponsored by the Englewood Municipal Alliance at the Elks Ideal Lodge at 17 Bennett Road.
More than a dozen residents and guests attended a presentation made by Morris County Prevention Is Key Coordinator Phyllis Minicuci and hosted by Deborah Baldwin, coordinator of the Englewood Municipal Alliance.
As people entered the lecture hall, Baldwin gave out numerous materials with tips for responding to opioid overdoses and recovery resources. There was also a flyer from Project Medicine Drop that instructs people on how to drop off unused prescription drugs anonymously at the Englewood Police Department on Van Brunt Street.
Also at the presentation were Gloria Byrne, a certified Peer Recovery Support specialist who works at five Bergen County hospitals, Dr. Lisa Witsotsky, a community leader and member of the Englewood Board of Health, and Englewood documentary filmmaker Sam Lee.
In the course of 90 minutes, Minicuci covered many topics:
• Overdose prevention strategies;
• Signs and symptoms of overdose;
• How to administer Naloxone (Narcan);
• What to do and what not to do during an overdose event;
• Rescue breathing;
• The stigma associated with drug use;
• Drug treatment options;
• Overdose prevention legal rights;
• Support resources.
A key point of Minicuci’s lecture and presentation was how easily it is to become addicted to prescription drug opioids and how quickly and strongly they overwhelm the receptors in the brain, the spinal cord, and elsewhere in the body.
Her statistics were extremely compelling:
• The United States makes up 5 percent of the world population, but we consume 80-90 percent of the world’s opiates.
• Opioid addiction costs the United States over $500 billion a year.
• According to the CDC, every day, 40 Americans die from an overdose caused by prescription pain killers. Opioid prescription drugs now kill more people than heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines combined.
• The CDC reports that two out of five teenagers think that prescription drugs are much safer than illegal drugs, and three out of 10 teenagers mistakenly believe that prescription painkillers are not addictive.
• The New Jersey Commission of Investigation reported that a growing number of young people are becoming addicted to painkillers and then to heroin when their prescription runs out.
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Minicuci galvanized everyone’s attention as she explained how the real game changer in today’s drug scene is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid primarily manufactured and shipped to the United States from China. Fentanyl is a drug that is 50 times as strong as heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Further, fentanyl is easily obtained and much cheaper than heroin. While a kilo of heroin costs $30,000, a kilo of fentanyl costs only $3,000. As such, many users unknowingly take street drugs that are cut with fentanyl, leading to a frightening spike in overdoses and deaths.
“Fentanyl is extremely dangerous to inhale, even in very small quantities,” Minicuci said. “Responders who come in contact with fentanyl in powder form should be wearing gloves and a mask.”
On a more positive note, Minicuci demonstrated the steps in handling an overdose, including calling 911, performing rescue breathing and administering Narcan.
She explained that Narcan knocks the opioids off the brain receptors and helps an unconscious person wake up. In some cases, when the Narcan wears off (in up to 40 minutes), another dose may be necessary. Narcan is sometimes sold in packs of two spray atomizers, and it can be bought at most pharmacies without a prescription.
In speaking about the legal ramifications of Narcan, Minicuci reassured everyone that you cannot be arrested for simple possession or for administering Narcan at the scene of an overdose. Drugs and paraphernalia in plain sight will be confiscated but arrests will not be made (unless there is evidence of drug distribution).
At the finish of her presentation, Minicuci gave all the participants Narcan kits and presented them with cards indicating that they had completed the program.
As frightening as some of Minicuci’s narrative was, it gave people a thorough understanding of the risks and consequences of opioid overdose and a detailed emergency rescue plan. Equally important, she left everyone with a list of help and recovery resources.
Photos by Hillary Viders