This is how New Jersey will target 'overdose hotspots' in at-risk areas
New Jersey officials are rolling out a plan to stop deaths at recently identified "overdose hotspots."
For the next six months, state Department of Health officials said, they will be teaming with community organizations to spread education and resources such as naloxone kits and fentanyl test strips to quell deadly overdoses in at-risk areas.
Where will this take place?
The outreach initiative will prioritize areas with high rates of overdose among Black residents, such as urban communities in Passaic, Camden, Atlantic, Monmouth and Essex counties.
"We know that this crisis is having a disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities right now,” said Judith Persichilli, state health commissioner. "Getting these critical tools into the hardest-hit areas will save lives."
Data-driven response
Using naloxone incident data from first responders, officials found overdoses concentrated at places such as transportation centers, correctional facilities, hotels and apartment complexes. Consequently, the plan seeks to stock them with naloxone kits to be stored for bystander use. Naloxone kits, educational assistance and other resources will also be made available for individuals at risk of overdose, officials said.
New Jersey overdose deaths
While New Jersey trails the national average for drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, it does outpace the average in deaths by opioid overdose. That includes deaths from heroin and illicitly produced fentanyl, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System.
Within the state, 2,266 of the 2,914 confirmed drug overdose deaths in 2019 were attributed at least partially to fentanyl, Health Department records show. Heroin played a part in 1,082 deaths, with records showing a heavy overlap with fentanyl. That year, Essex, Camden, Ocean, Passaic and Hudson counties had the most heroin overdoses.
Essex also had the most total suspected drug overdose deaths in 2022, according to department records. Following it were Camden, Atlantic, Middlesex and Bergen counties.
Department officials in announcing their hotspot plan said overall overdose death rates have remained relatively flat in recent years. So have reported uses of naloxone to stop opioid overdoses. However, the overdose rates for Black and Hispanic residents has gone up.
Communities of color saw increases
Among Black residents, the rate of overdose deaths rose from 54.6 per 100,000 people in 2020 to 65.9 per 100,000 in 2021, officials said. The rate for Hispanic residents simultaneously rose from 24.6 to 25.9.
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To help combat the increase, Health Department officials said, they combed through state data from 2019 through 2022 and identified more than 30 locations with significant rates of suspected overdoses. The $200,000 outreach initiative is due to bring both educational tools and naloxone kits to those areas through August 2023, records show.
State officials said the initiative builds off its Naloxone365 program, which provides free access to the lifesaving drug.
The Department of Health is also supporting increased capacity for distributing naloxone by mail and getting fentanyl test strips into the hands of outreach groups, health departments and other agencies, according to a department statement.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 'Overdose hotspots' targeted in NJ initiative to lower deaths
