FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 12, 2024

Contact: Lisa Batitto, news@drugfreenj.org

Webinar to Explore the Intersection of
Opioid Addiction and Mental Health Challenges

MILLBURN ­– New Jersey experts will address the complex interplay between opioid addiction and mental health in the third webinar of the 2024 Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Learning Series, a collaboration of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), the Office of the New Jersey Coordinator for Addiction Responses and Enforcement Strategies (NJ CARES) and the Opioid Education Foundation of America (OEFA).

“When Addiction & Mental Health Collide” will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 28, and feature presentations by Tim Vermillion, DSW, a therapist with the Veterans Affairs Administration; Tiffany Wilson, Esq., senior counsel and director at the Office of Alternative and Community Responses; and Jill Schlossberg, LPC, director of peer support services at the Mental Health Association in NJ.

The webinar will examine the relationship between opioid use disorder and mental health problems, explore methods and resources available for the prevention of opioid use among individuals with mental health issues, and discuss evidence-based therapies effective in treating co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders.

“Addressing the critical link between mental health and opioid addiction is essential in our ongoing battle against the opioid crisis,” PDFNJ Executive Director Angelo Valente said. “This webinar is a pivotal platform for sharing knowledge and strategies, aiming to equip healthcare professionals and the community with the tools needed to effectively tackle these co-occurring challenges.”

PDFNJ hosts the series in collaboration with OEFA and NJ CARES, which is responsible for overseeing addiction-fighting efforts across the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and has focused on educating the community on various topics related to prevention, treatment and recovery.

The Learning Series has grown each year since it was created in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with attendance reaching nearly 10,000 attendees in 2023. Participants have learned from experts from a wide range of backgrounds and expertise, including representatives of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the New Jersey Department of Health, the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as many universities and state and local organizations involved in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Speakers have included New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, former New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Regional Director Dr. Dara Kass and award-winning author Sam Quinones.

The 2024 Learning Series launched on January 25 with an overview of the opioid epidemic presented by Dr. Lewis Nelson, chair of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; and Captain Jason Piotrowski, executive officer of the New Jersey State Police’s Forensic and Technical Services Section.

The series is a branch of PDFNJ’s Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day statewide initiative, which has been held annually on October 6 since 2016 to educate residents and prescribers on the risks of prescription opioids and to raise awareness of the opioid crisis throughout the state.

To learn more about Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day and for a schedule of webinars, please visit knockoutday.drugfreenj.org.

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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 $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.