2019 QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS

In years when one, or both, houses of the state Legislature are up for election, NCADD-NJ conducts a survey of the candidates on issues of addictions policies. This year, all eighty seats are up in the NJ Assembly and the candidates were mailed the questionnaire shortly after Labor Day. It is intended to gauge general policy inclinations rather than pinpoint support or opposition for specific legislative proposals. It also serves as an introduction for some as to the concerns of the addictions community.

NCADD-NJ neither endorses candidates for office nor contributes donations to political campaigns. A candidate’s response is scanned and posted on our website. The remarks are not critiqued nor given a rating. It is hoped that all eligible voters will exercise that constitutional right in November. The 2019 NJ Assembly Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Survey is designed to assist voters in comparing candidates’ positions on alcohol and drug dependence-related public policies.

Forty-one candidates answered the questionnaire and the attitude change and approach expressed was dramatic and encouraging. All acknowledged addictive behavior as a disorder requiring a public health response. This represents a shift from a few years ago when most viewed it as a character flaw that had to be punished. A good deal of the credit for this more refined perspective is attributable to the sophisticated and selfless testimony of people struggling with addictions and their families who have bravely articulated their challenges in securing adequate services in order to attain and maintain long-term recovery.

* All but two respondents indicated support for sufficient funding for treatment and recovery programs. This is an important commitment, as we need the resources of the state to ensure a substantive engagement with the crisis.

* All but two of the candidates endorsed the voluntary consent to be transported to a detox or treatment program for someone who had been revived from a drug overdose. The identical number supported giving that person a medication to alleviate the ensuing withdrawal symptoms after the administration of an opioid overdose reversal drug, such as naloxone (brand name – Narcan).

* Thirty of the forty-one respondents agreed that more public spaces, such as colleges, libraries, sports arenas, etc. should be mandated to stock naloxone and train certain staff on its use.

* All respondents support recovery community centers, however, seven believe they should exist privately, without public funding. A further six see these centers as a good idea – but not in their home county.

* Each of the candidates suggested an endorsement of enhancing current drug, alcohol and mental health programs in jails and prisons; expanding access to criminal record expungement relief for individuals who can demonstrate long-term recovery; and increasing alternatives to incarceration for non-violent drug offenders. Meanwhile, three suggested toughening criminal penalties in tandem with these initiatives would also work.

* On the question of recreational use of small amounts of marijuana by adults, of the forty-one candidates participating in the survey:

- Five support legalization and regulation

- Fifteen support decriminalization

- Eight would support either legalization or decriminalization

- Six would prefer keeping the present legal prohibition in place

- Five would prefer keeping the present legal prohibition in place, while making changes to the existing law

- Two did not respond to this particular question  

To read the questionnaire responses from the participating candidates, click here

Ed Martone

Policy Analyst

THE PAST AS PROLOGUE

The NCADD-NJ staff and Board of Directors have recently embarked upon an introspective examination of the organization for purposes of drawing up a Strategic Plan for the future. Part of the process has been a retrospective look at the origins of NCADD-NJ and its development up to the present day. It is illuminating to review the early days and how they inform plans for moving forward.

Recently, our President/CEO, Wayne Wirta, mined his institutional memory and sketched out some of the past highlights of the organization. It was an offshoot of the National Council on Alcoholism that was founded in 1945. It was incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt entity in the Garden State in 1982 by several directors of local county-based affiliates of the National Council on Alcoholism. The affiliate directors around the state believed there needed to be a presence in the State Capitol.

The institution became fully operational in 1985 with grants from The Fund for New Jersey and the state Division of Alcoholism. Wayne was retained as Executive Director in August, 1988 and the agency moved from a trade association to a statewide policy council – and the name was changed to the New Jersey Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. The organization set up shop in a former funeral home in Trenton, on a budget of $70,000, and with Wayne and a part-time secretary. The first two years of operation consisted primarily of monitoring addiction-related legislation, meeting with legislators and testifying at hearings, developing informational pamphlets aimed at reducing the stigma around addiction, and exhibiting at conferences throughout the state.

In 1990, the agency’s bi-monthly newsletter, PERSPECTIVES began publication and became the only statewide organ that disseminated current, addiction-related news. The following year saw the launch of the Congregation Assistance Program. It established and trained “core teams” within individual congregations to educate the members on the nature of addictive illnesses and to act as primary contacts for individuals needing assistance. One year later, we set up a training institute to provide courses that would move a person toward attaining a Certified Alcoholism Counselor designation.

The organization name was changed to its present moniker, NCADD-NJ in 1997. The occasion was marked in the Statehouse with a ceremony keynoted by then-U.S. Senator, George McGovern.

During Governor Christine Todd Whitman’s Administration, conventional wisdom held, that people on welfare who were addicted and required to secure training or work, would need treatment before being able to do so. Thus was born the Work First New Jersey – Substance Abuse Initiative. It was the intent of the project to not simply manage the care, but to also act as advocates for those on welfare to receive the most sufficient level of therapy for the most appropriate length of time. With virtually no fiscal restrictions from the state with regard to treatment costs, we have been able to realize that goal. This further resulted in an almost overnight staff expansion from six people, to what is now a one hundred forty person Administrative Services Organization (ASO).

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, NCADD-NJ received a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with which we established the “Friends of Addiction Recovery – New Jersey.” The objective of the project was to put a face on recovery so as to reduce the stigma around addiction, and to advocate for policies that would foster long-term recovery.

NCADD-NJ moved in to its present Robbinsville headquarters in 2006. The following year, the agency extended its reach to the Far West. The organization developed and operated complex data and voucher systems for the Montana/Wyoming Tribal Leaders.

In 2008, we were fortunate to be one of five agencies to receive a Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap grant from the Open Society Foundations in the amount of $200,000. Its purpose was to provide public awareness and advocacy around the need to obtain more resources to offer therapy for individuals suffering from addictive illness. The grant was for three years but in 2011 we were one of two organizations who received extensions that lasted until 2015. Under this grant, we were able to increase staff and began the Advocacy Leader Program. It started with a class of 35 individuals who applied to be a part of the program. It has steadily grown from that point to where we now have over a thousand people signed on as volunteers and 12 active regions that hold monthly meetings and put on annual public awareness events in their local communities.

In 2009, the state Division of Family Development (DFD) asked us to assume responsibility for the Mental Health Initiative in seven counties. The Mental Health Initiative is different from the SAI in that we don’t authorize or pay for treatment. We assess the client and refer to the appropriate provider and give support to try to ensure that the client enters the treatment program. In 2012, the Mental Health Initiative was extended to the entire state and we received an additional million dollars from DFD to provide the services.

We received a grant in 2014 from New Jersey Citizen Action to promote the use of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in order to provide identification of minors beginning early substance misuse. We further received a grant from them to inform the recovery community about insurance reform and how to sign up for what has become known as Obama Care, a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act. A one-year grant was bestowed upon us in 2016 from the Open Society Foundations to train and support the Council of Southeast Pennsylvania in establishing an Advocacy Leader Program such as we have done in the Garden State.

A more recent grant of $20,000 was received from the Legal Action Center to participate in the national Parity at Ten Project. The purpose was to have insurance parity legislation enacted at the state level ten years after it had been passed by the Federal Government. The problem was that, although legislation was passed mandating that health plans reimburse for behavioral healthcare on a par with the manner in which physical, medical therapy was paid for, it was up to the states to enforce it. This was something that, by and large, had not been done. NCADD-NJ and the NJ Parity Coalition were successful in securing adoption of this legislation earlier this year.

In 2018, we also worked with the Mental Health Association in NJ to obtain a grant from a private, family foundation in New York to expand our Advocacy Leader program to include those individuals suffering solely from mental illness. We enhanced the membership in three of our Regional Advocate Teams in order to do this, and subsequently received a sub-grant from the MHA in NJ in the amount of $20,000 over a two year period.

Also in 2018, the NJ Dept. of Human Services’ Division of Family Development (DFD) awarded us the Family Violence Option (FVO) initiative. The six FVO Regional Risk Assessors conduct risk evaluations in the county welfare offices statewide and provide safety planning for the General Assistance (GA) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients. The FVO Risk Assessors then recommend any one of six work or training waivers. The purpose of the FVO waivers is to protect the GA/TANF recipients who are in imminent danger from the perpetrator, and for individuals who want to move forward and become self-sufficient.

As NCADD-NJ plans for its future endeavors, it acknowledges the strong foundation set by the pioneers of the agency. It is not an organization buffeted by the winds of fate. Rather, its destiny lies in the judgment and actions of its Board of Directors, staff and volunteer leadership.    

SUMMER DAZE

Just before it’s Summer break, the N.J. Legislature tackled a sizable number of bills of relevance to behavioral health activists. There is much to report on as the severity of the opioid epidemic has continued to garner the attention of the media, decision-makers, and the public-at-large. The enormity of the crisis has also altered the way in which many policy-makers regard those individuals seeking long-term recovery. In just the past few years, recovery activists went from gadflies trying to get officials to pay attention, to experts, whose misfortunes have sadly made them the sought-out ones who can often best inform the public discourse on practical solutions.

Some of the legislative proposals that have been enacted in to law during the past few months, include:

A.542/S.1830 – Requires high schools to stock opioid overdose reversal drugs, authorizes school nurses to administer, and provides them with legal indemnification

A.4744/S.3314 – Mandates that the N.J. Dept. of Human Services ensure medication assisted treatment benefits under the Medicaid program are provided without the imposition of prior authorization strictures

A.3292/S.2244 – Requires that all opioid prescriptions include a warning sticker advising patients of the risk of addiction and overdose

S.1339/A.2031 – Requires health insurance plans to pay for behavioral health care on a par with the manner in which they compensate for physical/medical health services

A.4498/S.3205 – Permits that a marijuana possession conviction of five pounds or less, be eligible for expungement. The new law additionally creates an expedited expungement process for certain marijuana-related offenses and offers a “clean slate” expungement to individuals with multiple convictions who have been out of the criminal justice system for at least ten years.

Other measures that have moved through various stages of the legislative process, and could be further acted upon before the current Assembly and Senate Term ends on Jan. 7, 2020, include:

S.938/A.3064 – Would require nursing homes to provide training to staff in behavioral health issues

SJR94/AJR70 – Would establish a one-year commission to examine the best ways to address the issue of people who repeatedly endure opioid overdoses and revivals

A.4150/S.2742 – Would require a meeting between a student and appropriate school personnel after multiple suspensions or a proposed expulsion from public school to identify behavior or health difficulties

A.3955/S.624 – Would limit private patient information behavioral health care providers may disclose to insurance carriers

S.3813/A.5510 – Would expand the Law Against Discrimination to provide that it will be unlawful for any entity that operates a health program to discriminate against an individual on the basis of the person being a member of a protected class

S.2332/A.3755 – Would allow persons with one or two convictions involving third and fourth degree aggravated assault to be eligible for Drug Court. Would also permit eligibility for individuals with older, multiple criminal convictions that are at least five years old, if the court determines that the program would be beneficial

A.4652/S3198 – Would allow for the reduction of court-ordered fines for individuals who successfully complete Drug Court

S.3857/A.5459 – Would mandate that healthcare professionals receive training in best practices in the care of pregnant women with respect to prescription opioids

A.5425/S.4021 – Would provide that no substance use disorder treatment facility shall pay or otherwise furnish any fee, commission, or rebate to any person to refer patients to the facility for therapy or services

S.3808/A.5506 – Would obligate basic health insurance plans offered in the state, to cover “essential health services.” These services include therapy for substance misuse and mental health disorders.

S.626/A.1733 – Would impose a prohibition on preexisting condition exclusions in health insurance policies

A.5501/S.3802 – Would require the continuation of health benefits dependent coverage until the child turns 26 years of age

S.824/A.2089 – Would replace the current mandate for a suspended license in the case of a first-time drunk driving offense with a required utilization of an Ignition Interlock Devise (IID) on the offender’s vehicle – Also establishes a category of “drugged driver” and provides for similar penalties

For more information about these bills, visit www.njleg.stste.nj.us

All of this leaves still more measures that might move after the Legislature’s Summer Break and before the current Term ends at the close of the year. Some of the topic areas include:

*Insurance parity-related protections, e.g. creation of a behavioral healthcare Ombudsperson position, health insurance network adequacy, and other parity-implementation and access to care initiatives

*Require public and private high schools to annually conduct written or verbal screenings of all students to identify early substance use

*Expand the right to vote to persons incarcerated, and on probation or parole

*Mandate that a portion of forfeited assets in certain drug cases be directed to fund drug treatment

*Require insurance carriers to reimburse for Suboxone and Subutex

*Designate sober living homes as beneficial uses in the context of the Municipal Land Use Act

*Improve performance standards for non-emergency medical transport provided under Medicaid

*Allow individuals who complete a drug court program to qualify for a casino employee’s license

*Mandate that colleges and universities maintain a supply of an opioid antidote

And many more…

Ed Martone

Policy Analyst

LETS TALK CO-OCCURRING

In 2012 I was encouraged to get involved with NCADD-NJ by a group of women who founded Parent To Parent in 1997.  These women were pioneers when it came to advocating as parents. They understood that the family’s voice was powerful in creating change and encouraged me to speak out.  They also recognized the power of many voices coming together and the importance of messaging.  They were courageous, kind and compassionate but the stories showed strength and people listened.

“Our Stories Have Power” was the first training I attended at NCADD-NJ. The room was filled with a combination of people in recovery and family members. In some cases, they were there together which gave me hope for my own son’s recovery.  We learned together and worked on writing our stories using language that seemed uncomfortable at the time. I struggled to write my story even though I had already been speaking out in my community.  Years later, person first language is natural and my story has evolved.

When an advocate becomes a team leader our work is recognized by in a Joint Legislative Resolution addressed to the individual advocate. In 2013, a mistake was made and all of the advocates’ names were on one document. We were given individual Resolutions later but I love that all 39 are listed on the original Resolution.  Many are still very active in advocacy in one way or another. It’s a pretty impressive list that shows the diversity of the NCADD-NJ advocates.

For years it was much easier and acceptable for families to speak out about treatment, recovery support and stigma than for someone in recovery to tell their story. Some continued to judge families but others felt compassion and they were willing to listen. Fortunately the recovery community has been empowered through advocacy work.  We welcome their voices and their stories but we cannot forget the power of our own stories.

Families have their own experiences in discrimination, isolation and a lack of access to resources and support. We also get well and it’s important that we talk about our own challenges and path to recovery. It can be uncomfortable and seem unnatural to talk about us but our stories make a difference and many changes begin with a family member advocating for a solution.  

The very first legislation I advocated for was the Overdose Prevention Act.  Working with advocates across the state on a bill that has literally saved thousands of lives in NJ was life changing.  Parents had a strong voice in the fight for a law that may have saved their child or could save the life of someone they love. Although all advocates worked on the legislation it was a parent’s story that seemed to energize the bill. Even when the signing was delayed, it was Bon Jovi, speaking out as a parent that pushed Governor Christie to sign the bill into law without further delay.

 “Our Stories Have Power” training is now scheduled throughout NJ to make it easier to attend. I encourage families to take advantage of the training. Learning how to tell our own stories not only makes a difference but can help us in our own recovery.

Tonia Ahern

NCADD-NJ Advocacy Field Organizer

ITS NICE TO WIN ONE …

Every once in awhile. The latest victory for people and their loved ones in the challenge to attain, and maintain, long-term sobriety, culminated in Governor Phil Murphy affixing his signature to the Parity Bill on April 11. The legislation had been a priority for the NCADD-NJ Advocates, staff and partners for many years. NCADD-NJ has convened and hosted the NJ Parity Coalition for some time, and efforts intensified with the introduction of Senate Bill 1339 and Assembly Bill 2031. The measure requires insurance carriers to document steps they’ve taken to ensure their health plans are in compliance with existing federal and state parity laws. These health insurance policies would not be available for sale to the public without demonstrated assurance that the plans are parity-compliant.

For more than ten years, federal law has mandated that health insurance policies reimburse for mental health and substance use treatment on a par with the manner in which there is reimbursement for physical, medical and surgical conditions. The responsibility for implementing these requirements, however, was given largely to the states. In the Garden State, the responsibility falls mostly to the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI). The Dept. must audit the plans, collect relevant data, determine compliance, report annually to the Governor and Legislature as to their findings, and place all relevant information that would be helpful to consumers on its public website. Up to now, the process was complaint-driven. Consumers would have to appeal an insurance denial, become conversant in parity strictures, non-quantitative and non-qualitative treatment limits, and essentially become insurance regulations experts. On June 11, when the new law takes effect, it would be the obligation of insurance experts at DOBI to certify that health insurance plans that are sold in the state guarantee to offer what is advertised.

The enactment of this new statute is the fulfillment of the quest of families who’ve been denied therapy coverage, service providers who’ve been prevented from delivering needed treatment to their clients in need, and to social justice advocates from every corner of the state. More than once during his remarks at the Parity Bill Signing Ceremony, Governor Murphy thanked the advocates “who got this bill to me.” This illuminates the point, that little gets through the public policy process without the dedicated efforts of citizen-advocates who draw attention to a problem, devise a solution, and press decision-makers to be responsive. It was encouraging to note that the Commissioners of the Departments of Human Services and Banking and Insurance were also present at the April 11 event and pledged to ensure that the mandates of the parity measure would be assertively enforced. Marlene Caride, DOBI Commissioner, announced she would begin the work with a statewide series of hearings to elicit from consumers their parity-related complaints and suggestions.

To ensure the new law is not a “dead letter,” NCADD-NJ and its partners in the NJ Parity Coalition, know the next steps will be to monitor and influence its enforcement. We will participate in the DOBI Listening Tour and assist in collecting relevant data. We will involve ourselves in the “rule-making” process at DOBI of promulgating the requisite regulations to implement the parity statute. We will assist DOBI in designing an audit of the insurance plans to collect the most relevant data on parity compliance. And we will join in a public education campaign to let individuals and businesses know of the protections of this new law.

The enactment of the parity bill is a superior achievement for NCADD-NJ Advocates who called the Governor’s Office, communicated with their elected officials, testified at public hearings, and spoke publicly in the press, all about the need for this reform. 

You can see the signing here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag7kT228550

Ed Martone

Policy Analyst 

NCADD-NJ

Alcoholism: The Silent Epidemic

April, being Alcohol Awareness Month, I thought it appropriate to say a few words about alcoholism and alcohol use issues. For the last several years, opiate overdose deaths have made the headlines at the national, state, and local level. And rightfully so. In 2017 there were 1,969 deaths due to opiate overdose in the state of New Jersey. This has resulted in a lot of attention and resources being put into combating the opiate addiction problem.

However, during that same period of time, 1761 individuals died from alcohol related causes. Nationally, alcohol these reached a 35 year high in 2014 with close to 90,000 deaths related to alcohol misuse or alcoholism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These statistics show that in 2014 more people died from alcohol induced causes than from overdoses of prescription painkillers and heroin combined.

Later figures show that the number of deaths caused by alcoholism and alcohol misuse is not significantly different from that of opiate overdose. So why is it that there is not more attention given to the problems around alcohol? One reason, and possibly the biggest reason, is that death from alcohol misuse is gradual and the primary causes of death are often listed as liver disease, throat cancer, pancreatitis, and other alcohol related illnesses. These deaths are not as visible as opiate overdose deaths. Of course, alcohol related accidents are not gradual and we hear of many tragic traffic deaths due to drunk driving, as well as boating accidents, falls, drownings, and other mishaps caused by intoxication. Once again, alcohol is not identified as the fatal cause.

So, alcoholism and alcohol misuse problems are not as visible and as “in-your-face” as opiate overdoses. And I certainly don’t want to take away from the tragedy experienced by families who lose someone suddenly to an opiate overdose. But at the same time we must not ignore or forget the impact that alcoholism and alcohol misuse have on individuals and families.

In speaking with friends and acquaintances it is difficult to find anyone who does not have alcoholism or alcohol misuse somewhere in their immediate or extended family. Both of my grandfathers had alcohol issues and their deaths were related to their alcohol problems. I think there was a statistic years ago that showed that four out of five individuals had alcoholism somewhere in their extended family.

So, in this time of Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s helpful to examine the impact that alcoholism and alcohol misuse has in our society and to begin to focus some attention to this other epidemic. 

BUILDING ON EARLY SUCCESSES

 I had the opportunity in March to testify on the proposed state Budget before the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees. Even in years with good economies (2019 being one), to me they’re a heartbreaking exercise as there is never enough funding available to even come close to sufficiently supporting all of the worthy functions people rely upon. So the hearings are less an examination of state revenue and expenditures, and more a conga line of school children, library directors, head-injured youngsters, harried commuters, and people with developmental disabilities, among many, many others, pleading with legislators to mitigate or restore cuts to their noble programs. Some Assembly and Senate members have spoken of how helpful they find the Budget Public Hearings, feeling that they make them aware of the needs of the folks toiling in the trenches. Instructive as they may be, it must be equally frustrating for these stewards of the public purse to have to tell their constituents “no” or “maybe next year.”

By comparison, the standing of those struggling with addictions in these proceedings is greatly improved over the light in which their needs were viewed even just a few years ago. When an addiction disorder was seen as a sin, those affected could be disregarded. Now, with the general understanding that what we’re dealing with is an illness, most policy makers want to be helpful rather than dismissive, or even contemptuous. Consequently, budget testimony can be one of calls to fund new programs and to enhance existing ones with a record of success.

* The NJ Department of Human Services has recently awarded one-time grants of $100,000 to peer-operated recovery community centers in each of three counties (Warren, Sussex and Atlantic). These are in addition to existing ones in Camden and Passaic counties. As welcome as these projects are, they are time-limited steps that do not entirely ensure long-term sustainability. These community centers provide a valuable oasis for many seeking to maintain recovery.

* I was pleased that Governor Phil Murphy proposed renewing the $100m allotment to projects that do battle with the opioid epidemic.

* Given the prevalence of the co-occurring maladies of mental health and substance use disorders among the majority of people struggling with behavioral health issues, initiatives within the NJ Department of Human Services ought to be fully supported.

* Recovery coach programs have enjoyed large acceptance just in the last couple of years. They are examples of peer-driven solutions that should receive strong budgetary support from the state.

* The state is on the threshold of enacting legislation to more completely implement the promise of parity. Insurance plans must ensure they cover behavioral health on a par with the manner in which they reimburse for physical care, in order for policies to be sold to consumers in the state. The NJ Department of Banking and Insurance should receive whatever modest appropriation necessary for it to enforce parity requirements.

Having heard from the public, the Budget Committees will next receive input from Cabinet members as to the needs of each of their departments. Following that, the legislators themselves will deliberate on the final ingredients and parameters of the state Budget which must, as constitutionally mandated, be adopted by July 1.

Ed Martone, Policy Analyst

NCADD-NJ

Handed the Torch: Changing Seasons and Advocacy Coordinators

 2018 was been a busy year for our NCADD-NJ Advocacy Teams, and looking ahead to the coming year we have no plans for stopping the momentum.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their warm welcome as I adjust to the role of Advocacy Coordinator. As an NCADD-NJ Advocate for 6 years, I knew that Aaron Kucharski had made a tremendous impact on countless advocates across the state, myself included, and that taking over his role would be a large task. My background and experience in addiction and recovery have prepared me well for this position, and it is an honor to continue working with a program that has played such a pivotal role in developing a recovery-ready New Jersey.

Six years ago I was introduced to NCADD-NJ through a training held at Living Proof Recovery Center in Voorhees, NJ. I was an employee at LPRC (one of 3 employees at the time: today there are more than 12), that helped plan and launch the second state-funded, peer-led recovery center in the state. Part of my job was to book recovery-oriented events, and a training entitled “Our Stories Have Power” was one of them. This training was a major turning point in my own recovery, and in my professional path.

I approached Aaron after the training to thank him and to let him know what a profound impact the last 2 hours had on me.  I asked him directly: “How do I get your job?” We laughed about it then, and we continue to laugh about it today. This introduction to advocacy, and the power of language in recovery, woke something up inside me. It would send me on a journey that culminated in receiving the answer to the question I asked Aaron 6 years ago.

Since entering the recovery field, I have held various positions that have prepared me for a launch into full time advocacy work. I spent several years with a Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team, where we assisted people with mental illness/addiction diagnoses directly in their communities and homes. When the OORP (Opioid Overdose Recovery Program) grants were distributed I launched the program in Gloucester County, and oversaw expansion into 2 additional hospitals in Camden County, bringing the number of programs in the county to 3. I returned to school and was trained as an addictions counselor, and have worked in this capacity at several treatment facilities in New Jersey. I am a trainer in SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), as well as a certified trainer for the CPRS (Certified Peer Recovery Specialist) certification in New Jersey. My recovery has been blessed with these opportunities to become a well-rounded addictions professional; these experiences also have shown me the many gaps in services, education, and opportunities available for those in, and seeking, recovery, as well as their families. I bring a slightly different perspective to our Advocacy Program, but I hope to be able to use my experiences to assist our Advocacy Teams in addressing the issues within their communities.

The power of grassroots advocacy cannot be denied. When I started as an NCADD-NJ Advocate, our primary focus was getting police to carry naloxone, and to get rid of the statute that prohibited EMTs from administering the same medication. It is hard to believe that this was a mere 6 years ago. We have come a long way, but must recognize that there is still much to be done.

By:

Heather Ogden

Advocacy Coordinator Public Affairs and Policy

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - New Jersey