New Jersey recently received good news; in 2019 there was a 3 percent decrease in opioid-related deaths. That means 97 fewer people died from the epidemic than in 2018, the first decrease since at least 2012.
The state handed out 32,000 doses of Naloxone, the life-saving opioid reversal drug, in one day to improve access across the state – the largest one-day free giveaway of Naloxone in the nation. And medication-assisted treatment, an evidence-based way to treat addiction to opiates, was expanded across the state through supporting and encouraging physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to offer opioid addiction treatment in their practices.
This good news came as part of Governor Phil Murphy’s reiteration of his administration’s commitment to empowering New Jersey to lead the way in solving one of the largest public-health crises seen in generations. He outlined his “four-page playbook” – collecting data, improving treatment, addressing societal factors and empowering law enforcement to address the crisis beyond making arrests – to continue connecting Garden State residents with the treatment needed and to deal with bad actors fueling the epidemic.
I propose that there’s an important fifth piece to the strategy – the support provided by New Jersey’s hospitals to reduce prescriptions for opioids, provide appropriate alternatives for pain management and partner with community providers and agencies to support long-term treatment and recovery.
Prescriptions for opioids decreased 6 percent during 2019, a sign that the healthcare community is taking its role in preventing opioid addiction seriously. But there is still more work to be done in making sure patients are not needlessly put at risk.
The New Jersey Department of Health has partnered with the New Jersey Hospital Association and St. Joseph’s Health to implement the Opioid Reduction Options (ORO) in the Emergency Department program to provide training to ED doctors, nurses and other practitioners on when prescribing opioids is appropriate, as well as alternatives to opioids when they are not the best course of care. The goal is to reduce the rate of ED patients receiving opioid prescriptions to 12 percent or lower.
We started this past November with 11 hospitals coming to NJHA for an all-day training. Next is a series of lectures delivered at the hospitals themselves, called Grand Rounds, to dig deeper into pain management in emergency situations and to introduce the ORO program to even more healthcare providers. More hospitals are initiating innovative programs that include peer navigators, being more engaged with doctors’ offices and niche services for older adults.
We are proud of being part of the ORO program, and to be part of New Jersey’s leadership in tackling the opioid crisis. We’re working hard to make sure there’s more good news to come.
If you or a loved one needs help accessing opioid addiction treatment, call 844-REACH-NJ to connect to a live counselor. Guest columnist Mary Ditri, DHA, is the vice president of community health at the New Jersey Hospital Association.
