Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities nationwide are reporting a surge in fatal opioid overdoses. Addiction and recovery advocates say the U.S. is now battling two epidemics at once. From 1999 to 2018, opioid overdoses involving prescription and illicit drugs have killed nearly 450,000 Americans.
A report released earlier this month by the Well Being Trust predicted as many as 75,000 Americans could die because of drug or alcohol misuse and suicide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Sheltering in place with the resulting isolation and loneliness are major risk factors for drug overdoses.
Each year, drug abuse causes millions of serious illnesses or injuries among Americans. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that the opioid epidemic is the leading cause of death in Americans under the age of 50. There are 192 drug overdose deaths every day in the United States. In an effort to address this epidemic, the Voorhees Township Committee has partnered with Camden County, the Voorhees Township Police Department and the County Municipal Court System to implement Project SAVE (Substance Abuse Visionary Effort).
Project SAVE is a voluntary substance abuse treatment referral and intervention strategy implemented throughout Camden County municipal courts to offer the opportunity for defendants arrested for non-violent crimes to receive counseling. The program will connect defendants suffering with addiction with information and options for assessment and/or treatment. The SAVE advocate will act as a liaison between the court, defendant and treatment providers. The objective of this program is to save lives, stabilize individuals suffering through the throes of addiction and reduce recidivism in the criminal justice system. Today, more than 50 percent of our inmates entering the Camden County Jail have a drug use disorder.
In a further effort to combat the opioid epidemic, the Voorhees Township Police Department conducts the “Not Even Once” program every other year at Eastern Regional High School for students in the 11th and 12th grades. This national interactive high school opioid awareness course is a collaborative effort between law enforcement and educators to inform students about the dangers of opiates before they leave for college or enter the workforce.
Our Police Department has also joined the national LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs) Program with a mission to create safer, healthier communities. LEAD provides the leadership resources to ensure our police have the means to partner with educators, community leaders and families in providing proven and effective programs to deter youth and adults from drug use, drug related crimes, bullying and violence. Our police are committed to fostering mutual respect, good will and relations with our residents. The LEAD Program is offered to the 6th grade students at the Voorhees Middle School.
** The Voorhees Township Committee is proud to honor the Class of 2020 with a graduation mural located on the wall adjacent to the square in front of Town Hall. This beautiful piece of art was created by the Voorhees Arts Council and funded through private donations to the Voorhees Citizens Event Foundation. We are inviting graduates of all levels of school to visit the mural and take pictures to help memorialize this special time in their lives. Remember during this unique time, the law permits up to 25 people at a time to visit the mural with proper social distancing. Please respect these guidelines as you celebrate with your graduate. Congratulations to the class of 2020!
** Due to COVID-19, kindergarten registration for the 2020-2021 school year will not be in person and will take place on-line. Any child who will turn five years of age on or before October 1, 2020 is eligible for kindergarten admission in September 2020. You must complete the pre-registration application at https://genesis.voorhees.k12.us/genesis/openReg. A staff member will contact you for additional information after the pre-registration is complete. For more information, visit https://www.voorhees.k12.nj.us.
