Nearly half a million doses of the opioid antidote naloxone have been used or given away by New Jersey officials over the past five years, enabling first responders, community organizations, school officials and others to save someone from a potentially fatal drug overdose.
With drug deaths declining year-over-year in 2022 for the first time in nearly a decade, experts believe this outreach is starting to work. But as state and local governments and nonprofit organizations continue to expand naloxone programs, some lawmakers believe it is time for a single person to oversee New Jersey’s bulk purchase and distribution of the drug sold as Narcan.
The Assembly Health Committee voted Thursday in favor of a bill that would create the position of Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator within the Department of Human Services, which oversees many of New Jersey’s treatment and harm reduction services. The job would involve working with state and local government agencies and nonprofits to coordinate a response and publicizing where people can access Narcan themselves.
Lilo H. Stainton discusses possible ‘opioid antidote coordinator’
“Fortunately, we’ve created pathways to make this antidote to opioids more widely available,” Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr. (D-Burlington), a physician and lead bill sponsor, said Thursday during a hearing on the bill before the Assembly Health Committee, which he chairs. He described the position as a “coordinator to help with the purchase and distribution of these important life-saving medications.”
State response thus far
Nearly 2,900 people died from drug use in 2022, according to the state’s medical examiner, a slight decline from the 2021 total of just over 3,100 and a sign to some that New Jersey’s wider response to the opioid epidemic is on target. But fatalities increased among some groups, rising 28% over last year’s numbers for Black residents. Monthly state data show fewer fatal overdoses have been reported this year, compared to last, but more than 1,000 people had died of drugs here by May 8.
New Jersey has built a robust naloxone response in recent years, with Human Services distributing more than 200,000 two-dose kits since 2018 through ongoing programs and public events. Police officers, firefighters and emergency responders have also administered more than 10,000 doses a year since 2016, according to data compiled by the state attorney general’s office, and it’s been used more than 3,600 times so far in 2023
‘Tremendous progress has been made in the past year. The need for naloxone continues and the need for centralized disbursement continues.’ — Marshall Spevak, Emergent BioSolutions
The antidote – a nasal spray or a small intramuscular shot, like an EpiPen — is now available to people and organizations who sign up through an online portal maintained by the human services department. The department also dedicated $200,000 in federal funds for naloxone and other overdose-prevention supplies for partner organizations that work directly with people who use drugs in communities. And a state program enables some 600 retail pharmacies to provide naloxone to anyone 14 or older free of charge, with no identification needed. (A list of participating sites is now being compiled for the public.)
“Tremendous progress has been made in the past year,” said Marshall Spevak, who testified Thursday for Emergent BioSolutions, the Maryland company that makes Narcan. Spevak praised New Jersey’s work to distribute the medication to a range of community locations like firehouses and libraries. “The need for naloxone continues and the need for centralized disbursement continues,” he said.
Building out
The state, through the Department of Health, is also looking to build on the work done by the seven existing harm reduction programs. Those programs provide clean needles to IV drug users – drastically reducing the spread of blood-borne infections like HIV/AIDS – along with naloxone, basic medical care and referrals to treatment and other services. It has also worked with clinicians to make it easier for patients to get medically assisted treatment, a best-practices protocol that uses controlled doses of prescription opioids to cure cravings and addict-like behaviors.
Under the antidote coordinator bill (A4237) – sponsored by Conaway and Assemblymen Dan Benson (D-Middlesex) and Anthony Verrelli (D-Mercer) – the position requires experience in any one or combination of the following fields: mental health and substance use disorders, health care, health policy, law enforcement or procurement and processing. This work would be funded by state and federal funds, if available, but the legislation does not specify a salary range.
The state opioid antidote coordinator would be responsible for coordinating the bulk purchase and distribution of naloxone with all state, county and local agencies, as well as the health care and community organizations that run harm-reduction programs. The person would also be tasked with supporting these entities in their outreach work and maintaining a website for the public with information about naloxone and where they can get the antidote.
The proposal faces additional votes before it can be signed into law by the governor. A companion bill sponsored by Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth) has yet to receive a hearing.
