OCEAN COUNTY – After a senator sponsored a local overdose program, a new bill has been passed where all counites can establish their overdose fatality review teams.
Back in 2018, the Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) implemented New Jersey’s first local Overdose Fatality Review Program (OFRP) model. Their goal is to extract and examine information from overdose cases and identify common trends to pinpoint systemic issues in the hope to find sustainable solutions that will save lives.
With the program becoming so successful, it caught the eye of Senator Robert Singer, senior ranking member of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. He told fellow legislators that the program should be made available in every county.
Subsequently, a new bill has been passed allowing counties to establish their own overdose fatality review programs and teams.
“There are lessons we can learn from each overdose that can help avert similar deaths in the future,” Singer said. “Rigorous research, analysis and evaluation can help put an end to the rampant plague of overdose that threatens our loved ones, friends and neighborhoods.”
There were 67,367 drug overdose deaths reported in America in 2018 and close to 3,000 of those fatalities were New Jersey residents, according to a press release. The Ocean County Overdose Fatality Review Team examined 138 decedent cases between 2018 and 2020.
“The OCHD couldn’t be any more pleased with the passing of this new bill sponsored by Senator Singer who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Ocean County Board of Health,” Daniel Regenye, OCHD Public Health Coordinator/Health Officer said. “Now the rest of the state can use this same process as another key resource to reduce overdose deaths in their communities.”
The bill requires the Commissioner of Health to report the process for drug overdose deaths, and forward the information to the review team. In addition, the bill includes promoting more cooperation and data sharing between state and local government agencies, develop new prevention strategies and provide recommendations for programming and policy.
“As the first fatality review model in New Jersey, the OCHD can appreciate this crucial legislation,” Kimberly Reilly, OCHD Alcohol and Drug Abuse Unit Coordinator said. “Now we can continue and amplify our review process and partners and provide recommendations for policy change and the search for new funding for our residents. This comes at a time when we must now deal with the impact of COVID-19 on our population when it comes to mental health and substance abuse.”
The OFRP had to take a break in spring 2020 due to the pandemic, but have been back reviewing cases since August 2020.
“The OCHD looks forward to assisting other counties that may need our assistance moving forward putting their programs together. It’s essential to keep the overdose fatality review programs – also dubbed “Social Autopsy” – a county driven process to ensure information and data speaks to the needs of our individual communities. Eventually all of this should drive new program development, changes in policy and increased access to prevention, treatment and recovery,” Reilly said.
For more information about the Ocean County Overdose Fatality Review Program, visit ochd.org.
