Resources
Opioid Information
Important Message for Chatham Township
Please watch the video below featuring Police Chief Tom Miller and Mayor Ashley Felice to learn more about Chatham Township’s initiative to save lives from opioid overdoses and how to administer Narcan. After watching this video, you can request your free Narcan kit by filling out this form.
In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates. Increased prescription of opioid medications led to widespread misuse of both prescription and non-prescription opioids before it became clear that these medications could indeed be highly addictive.
More than 760,000 people have died since 1999 from a drug overdose. Nearly 75% of drug overdose deaths in 2020 involved an opioid. Opioid overdoses have reached alarming levels in recent years, leading to a crisis that affects many families. Chatham Township is not an exception to this epidemic. This is why the Chatham Township Committee decided to participate in the national opioid settlement agreement related to the “National Prescription Opiate Litigation”. As part of the agreement, Chatham Township will receive a portion of the $300 million of opioid settlement funds going to the state of New Jersey over the next 18 years. We intend to use these funds in various ways to address the devastating impact of opioids in our communities. Our first effort with funds that we have already received is a public education campaign and enhancing prevention efforts.
Note: The NJ Overdose Protection Act provides immunity to anyone who gives naloxone or calls 9-1-1 for medical assistance in an overdose situation.
