Heroin Hits Home: 'A Crisis At The Jersey Shore' Forum Planned For Jan. 18 In Point Pleasant

The number of overdoses in the Ocean County area continues to skyrocket at an alarming rate, leaving a swath of victims, along with grieving parents and friends.

And Point Pleasant school district officials want to do something about it.

“There seems to be a persistent misperception that the use of opioids and specifically heroin is not a problem in our area," Superintendent Vincent S. Smith said. "Unfortunately, a number of recent incidents have proven that is not the case."

The district will hold a forum to discuss the crisis at 7 p.m. on Jan. 18 in the Point Pleasant High School auditorium. The event is open to parents and teens from around Ocean County, not just Point Pleasant, said district spokesperson Jacqueline Goss.

The rate of heroin overdose deaths attributed to heroin nationwide is 2.6 per 100,000 people, Smith said.

“In New Jersey, the rate is 8.3 deaths per 100,000 people," he said. "That's three times the national average and doesn’t even account for fatal overdoses caused by prescription opioids. Since 2010, the number of heroin-related overdose deaths in the state has more than doubled, despite the widespread use of Narcan, a first response treatment for overdose.”

Heroin now eclipses homicide, suicide, car accidents and AIDS as a cause of death in New Jersey, according to the Centers For Disease Control, Goss said.

'These frightening statistics coupled with a number of recent overdoses that have affected local families has inspired the Point Pleasant Borough School District to aggressively target this growing epidemic," she said.

School district administrators, law enforcement officials and local health experts will discuss risk factors for opioid and heroin abuse, prevention tips, the warning signs of opioid abuse, the consequences of drug use and resources in the area.

Families and individuals will also discuss how their lives have been affected by heroin.

Panelists include:

Vincent S. Smith - Superintendent, Point Pleasant Borough Schools

Jim Foley - Student Assistance Counselor, Point Pleasant Borough Schools

Joseph D. Coronato - Ocean County Prosecutor

Anthony Pierro - Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor

Lt. Det. Adam Picca - School Liaison, Point Pleasant Police Department

Dave Scalabrini - Juvenile Detective, Point Pleasant Police Department

Kimberly Reilly - County Alcoholism Coordinator, Ocean County Health Department

Beth Wisniewski PPBHS Class of ’09, Sister of Overdose Victim

Person in recovery

“Drug abuse is affecting more and more families here in our community,” Smith said. “I strongly urge all parents to attend this critical forum with their children that ages 12 and up. Now is the time to discuss what we, as a community, can do to protect our children from becoming a statistic.”

Image: Patch file photo.