FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 10, 2017

Contact: Matt Birchenough, 201-916-1032, media@drugfreenj.org          

Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series Kicks Off in Atlantic County

The first Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall was held Monday, April 10 at Stockton University in Atlantic County to discuss the issue of prescription drug dependency and heroin abuse. Angelo Valente, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, moderated the discussion among members of an expert panel that included, from left, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner, Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo (D – Atlantic), Laurie Smith of Join Together Atlantic County, Alton Robinson of CARES NJ and Tonia Ahern of Parent-To-Parent.

GALLOWAY — Atlantic County residents arrived at Stockton University on Monday to join the conversation on the opioid crisis facing the nation at the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s first Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall.

Those in attendance also had the opportunity to listen and learn from an expert panel that included Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner, Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, Laurie Smith of Join Together Atlantic County, Alton Robinson of CARES NJ and Tonia Ahern of Parent-To-Parent.

“I think today was a good start in bringing together different members of the community, different stakeholders,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “Ultimately, we want to stop an individual from going down that road to opioid abuse.”

The event was the first of 17 town hall meetings, focusing on the issue of prescription drug dependency and heroin abuse, to be held throughout the state of New Jersey over the next 18 months. Organized with the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, the town halls will include collaboration from hundreds of local prevention and treatment organizations, as well as local and county law enforcement, government and medical community leaders.  

“We’re looking forward to hearing your voices and making sure your voices really drive toward a solution,” said Mary Ann Christopher, Vice President of Clinical Operations for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, while addressing the audience.

Monday’s town hall also was co-sponsored by Stockton University, the Atlantic County Opiate Task Force and Join Together Atlantic County.

The goals of the town hall meetings are to provide residents an opportunity to more fully understand the impact this national epidemic is having on their own communities; the local, county and state resources and initiatives available to them; as well as an opportunity to highlight exemplary local programs that can be replicated throughout the state. A dedicated website, knockoutopioidabuse.drugfreenj.org, has been created to provide a full schedule of countywide town hall meetings and registration information. Knockoutopioidabuse.drugfreenj.org also provides local, county and state substance abuse prevention and treatment resources available.

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Best known for its statewide anti-drug 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 $70 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 120 Advertising and Public Relations Awards from National, Regional & Statewide Media Organizations.