Over the past five years New Jersey has distributed nearly 460,000 doses of the opioid antidote naloxone to individuals, community organizations and first responders — an effort experts believe has helped in turning the tide on drug-related deaths in this state.

But while fatal overdoses were down overall in 2022 — the first year-over-year decrease in nearly a decade in the state — New Jersey has reported a rise in drug-related deaths among Black and senior residents. State officials are now responding with a small but carefully targeted harm-reduction program.

Using $200,000 from a larger federal grant, the state Department of Health said it will purchase naloxone kits that can test for fentanyl — a potent synthetic additive often found in street drugs — and other life-saving supplies. These items will be distributed by grassroots partners who work with people who use drugs at specific sites where Black and Hispanic people have overdosed in high numbers in recent years, the state said.

The department declined to release a list of the sites, citing confidentiality concerns. The grassroots partners range from BLM Paterson and the Newark Community Street Team to the Mercer County Human Services department, according to Nancy Kearney, the department’s deputy communications, and the agency is encouraging more to sign up. However, the program will only last through August, when the federal grant is set to expire, she said.

While short-lived, some advocates praised the health department initiative for its data-driven approach and the decision to engage grassroots groups who have established connections with people who use drugs.

“Getting naloxone to community groups doing on-the-ground work in their neighborhoods is essential if we want to save lives,” said Jenna Mellor, director of the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition, which serves as a naloxone conduit to other groups and individuals, in some cases through the U.S. Postal Service.

Read the article from NJ Spotlight News.