FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 4, 2024
Contacts: Lisa Batitto, news@drugfreenj.org

Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s Opioid Prevention Initiatives Recognized at National Rx Summit

ATLANTA —The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) showcased Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day and the accompanying Learning Series at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit held this week in Atlanta.

PDFNJ highlighted these initiatives, which are critical in providing New Jersey communities with vital information on preventing opioid misuse, as part of the Rx Summit’s poster sessions.

The poster detailed Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day, an event organized with the support of the Governor's Council on Substance Use Disorder, the New Jersey Department of Human Services:  Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Community Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Morris. Through this program, more than 10,000 volunteers throughout the state share opioid prevention and awareness messages and materials.

The poster also featured the Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Learning Series, which offers healthcare providers and others involved in addressing the opioid crisis expert insights on preventing and treating opioid use and misuse. The series is a collaboration of PDFNJ, the Office of the New Jersey Coordinator for Addiction Responses and Enforcement Strategies (NJ CARES), and the Opioid Education Foundation of America (OEFA). Founded in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Learning Series has grown each year, reaching nearly 10,000 attendees in 2023.

“At the Rx Summit, we shared our strategies for reaching New Jersey communities with essential information on preventing opioid misuse,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ. “It is essential that we provide the necessary tools and knowledge so that both patients and providers can make safe and informed decisions about pain management.”

The Rx and Illicit Drug Summit is a major national event that brings together professionals from various sectors, including local, state, and federal agencies, businesses, academia, clinicians, and advocates impacted by the opioid crisis. The 2024 Summit, held from April 1-4, in Atlanta, attracted thousands of attendees from across the nation, underscoring its significance as a platform for discussing and addressing the ongoing opioid crisis.

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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 $200 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 226 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.