Operation Helping Hand 4th Annual Overdose Awareness Day

SOMERVILLE, N.J. – The Prosecutors’ Offices of Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, and Warren counties announce the 4^th Annual Overdose Awareness Day Event being held on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at TD Bank Ballpark, home of the Somerset Patriots, the New York Yankees Double-A affiliate.

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International Opioid Overdose Awareness Day – a campaign to end drug overdose by promoting prevention and harm reduction strategies – is observed annually on August 31^st. In recognition of this day, the Operation Helping Hand (OHH) initiatives of Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, and Warren counties have joined together to support individuals in recovery and to honor the lives lost to drug addiction. To help reduce the stigma surrounding substance use disorder and encourage conversations around the issue, the four County Prosecutors’ Offices have joined together to show solidarity in their commitment to helping individuals and communities affected by this disease.

“On this International Overdose Awareness Day, I want to express my Office’s and my personal sincere condolences to all who have lost loved ones to drug overdoses. Thank you for fighting with us. Together, we can make measurable progress in reducing overdose deaths. It remains a continuing and chronic challenge, but by uniting our efforts, we can create a safer and healthier community for everyone,” said Renée M. Robeson, Hunterdon County Prosecutor.

“The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office would like to thank the Somerset County Commissioners and the Somerset Patriots for hosting the 4^th Annual Overdose Awareness Day Event. Our office’s partnership with OHH has allowed law enforcement to reach out to those addicted to opioids without the stigma of a criminal conviction. We look forward to continuing our support of OHH and its remarkable programs,” said John P. McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor.

“The Union County Prosecutor’s Office is proud to participate in this year’s OHH’s Multi-Jurisdictional Overdose Awareness Day Event at the Somerset Patriots baseball game. This event is not just to mourn those we’ve lost to overdose but to fight for a future where addiction is met with help, not handcuffs. OHH is about breaking the stigma and offering a lifeline to those struggling. By working together, law enforcement, treatment providers, and the community can turn the tide on this epidemic. Let’s honor those we’ve lost by saving the lives of others,” said William A. Daniel, Union County Prosecutor.

“Opioid addiction and opioid overdose are tragedies, but these tragedies can be prevented. A key step in preventing both is raising awareness that help is available and eliminating any stigma that exists for those seeking help. International Overdose Awareness Day is set aside to deliver that very message.” Anthony A. Picone, Acting Warren County Prosecutor, stated, “His office is proud to be a part of this event and to help deliver the message to those who need help: We are here and ready to help you.”

“The Somerset Patriots are extremely proud to be able to host such an important event at the ballpark and to partner up with our local law enforcement agencies to help spread the message of how to prevent opioid overdose,” said Somerset Patriots Vice President of Operations Bryan Iwicki. “Opioid overdose touches so many people’s lives in so many different ways. I think almost everyone knows someone that has suffered from addiction in some way, and being able to educate people on how to get help and educating others on how they can help their friends and family is so important.”

Local community partners Community in Crisis (Bernardsville), Parent to Parent Addiction Services Inc. (Washington), Prevention Links (Roselle), and Prevention Resources (Flemington) collaborated in planning the event.

On game day, Naloxone kits will be distributed through a partnership with the New Jersey State Department of Human Services. The kits are available to those in the community who are at risk of experiencing an opioid overdose and/or to those in the position to administer the opioid antidote to a person experiencing an opioid overdose.

There will be a 50/50 raffle to benefit Prevention Resources Open Door Recovery, a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Hunterdon County. Open Door Recovery uses peer-based approaches within a safe and inclusive environment to support, empower, and provide resources to all persons in recovery from substance use. Open Door Recovery Center also aims to reduce barriers for persons in recovery by decreasing the stigma surrounding substance use disorders in the broader community. This is achieved primarily through hosting educational events, implementing community-wide stigma-free campaigns, and building key partnerships with medical practitioners and law enforcement.

The Somerset Patriots are the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate and develop today’s top minor league talent into the pinstriped superstars of tomorrow for MLB’s winningest team. The Patriots are the reigning Eastern League Champions and play their home games at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ, where fans of all ages and levels of baseball fandom get to enjoy the unique experience that is minor league baseball. To learn more, visit somersetpatriots.com.

Funding for the OHH program comes from a grant provided by the State of New Jersey, Department of Law & Public Safety, Office of the Attorney General (OAG), and the Office of Alternative and Community Responses (OACR), which coordinates statewide addiction-fighting efforts. In 2016, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office developed an innovative prosecutor-led program known as OHH, whereby law enforcement actively links individuals with substance use issues to treatment and/or recovery services. The traditional model involves law enforcement officers arresting individuals purchasing heroin or other narcotics at open-air drug markets and then immediately offering to link those individuals to care. In 2018, the Department of Law & Public Safety expanded the Bergen County OHH model to four additional counties. Afterward, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding, OHH was extended to 17 counties. Thanks to $2.2 million in State Funding, OHH became operational in all 21 counties in 2019. Some counties continue to operate traditional, arrest-based OHH programs. In contrast, others have chosen to have law enforcement proactively link individuals suffering from substance use issues to treatment and/or recovery services through non-arrest means such as roving vehicles, Superior Court or Municipal Court programs, and direct outreach to those identified as most at-risk of overdosing.

Hunterdon County residents**:** Prosecutor Robeson and Chief Timothy J. Drew urge those in need of recovery services to contact OHH by calling (908) 788-1129 or visiting the Hunterdon County OHH website at https://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/341/Operation-Helping-Hand to be connected to services.

Somerset County residents**:** Prosecutor McDonald and Chief Francisco Roman Jr. request that anyone seeking addiction services contact OHH by calling (908) 393-8888, visiting the Somerset County OHH website at www.bit.ly/somersetohh or emailing [email protected] to be connected to services.

Union County residents**:** Prosecutor Daniel and Chief Harvey A. Barnwell request that anyone seeking addiction services call the OHH 24/7/365 hotline at (885) 825-3275.

Warren County residents**:** Acting Prosecutor Picone and Chief Brent Warne urge those in need to contact Parent to Parent Addiction Services via (908) 223-1951 to be linked directly to services.