Overall overdose rates in New Jersey have gone down, but not in all communities. And there are notable racial disparities in which communities experience drug overdoses and lack access to treatment. In response, the New Jersey Department of Health is launching an initiative that will target 30 overdose hot spots where, in partnership with local community organizations, it will provide naloxone, the opioid antidote; fentanyl test-strip kits, hygiene kits and other resources. According to the department, the 30 locations are marked by having had “nine or more suspected overdoses consistently from 2019-2022.” 

“While no corner of our state has been spared the devastating impact of the opioid overdose crisis, we know that this crisis is having a disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities right now,” said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “Getting these critical tools into hardest hit areas will save lives.” 

From 2020 to 2021, the rate of overdose deaths among Black New Jerseyans rose from 54.6 per 100,000 persons in 2020 to 65.9 per 100,000. Passaic, Camden, Atlantic, Monmouth and Essex counties have the highest rates of overdose among Black residents.

The program will run March through August 2023. A press release from the DOH notes “Health educators and peers will provide engagement opportunities to people at risk of an overdose to connect them to harm reduction and treatment resources. In addition, NJDOH is providing hotspot locations (such as train stations, motels) with naloxone education and offering naloxone kits for establishments to store for bystander use in the event of an overdose.

Organizations interested in receiving supplies or learning more can contact Outreach Coordinator Mariah Smith at mariah.smith@doh.nj.gov