FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 15, 2019

Contact: Nicolette Nappi, 973-382-4560, nicolette@drugfreenj.org

Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series Highlighted at National Conference

ATLANTA — The Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series, a program organized by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, has received recognition for its positive impact in educating communities on the opioid epidemic at this week’s National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media.

The annual conference, sponsored by the National Public Health Information Coalition and held in Atlanta, brings together individuals representing academia, public health researchers and practitioners from federal and state government and the private sector, and provides a forum for collegial dialogue within and across these disciplines.

The Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series brought together experts on the opioid epidemic from various fields, including law enforcement, the medical community, government, prevention, treatment and recovery for events in all 21 New Jersey counties throughout 2017 and 2018.

“The Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series played a key role in educating residents about the opioid crisis that has affected all New Jersey residents,” Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey Executive Director Angelo Valente said.

In response to the success of the Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, through its philanthropic arm, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, have collaborated to create Knock Out Opioid Abuse, an initiative to address the opioid epidemic through community outreach, prescriber education, parent education and a statewide media campaign to increase awareness of the crisis.

This two-year initiative, launched earlier in 2019, features a new series of town halls, parent education through the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s 5^th Grade Parent Alert and an online continuing medical education program for prescribers.

To learn more about Knock Out Opioid Abuse, visit knockoutopioidabuse.drugfreenj.org.

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Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey: Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication.  To date, more than $100 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 180 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, vision and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in New Jersey by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn more at www.HorizonBlue.com. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association serving more than 3.8 million members.

About The Horizon Foundation For New Jersey: The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is committed to working alongside those who can help us improve our neighbors’ health, inform their health decisions and inspire them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. The Foundation’s funding pillars are Caring, Connecting and Creating. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is the sole member of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, both of which are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit www.Horizonblue.com/Foundation.