HOWELL – Howell Township and the Howell Alliance have announced a new initiative, Tackling Opioid Use Through Prevention, in an effort to stop youth opioid misuse.
Howell Township youth sports leagues and organizations are encouraged to incorporate the free, 30-minute presentation to their coach/leader orientation at the beginning of each season.
According to the Howell Alliance, “Tackling Opioids Through Prevention” addresses the most common routes for youth opioid misuse:
- Being prescribed pain medication for sports injuries or wisdom teeth extractions
- Taking family members’ prescriptions stored in the household medicine cabinet
- Getting unused prescription and illicit counterfeit pills from friends
- Finding fake “look-alike” prescription pills on youth social media sites such as Snapchat, where cartels posing as youth push illicit pills laced with deadly doses of fentanyl.
The informative presentation talks about fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin and a common source of fatal overdoses; 1 in 4 fake pills containing fentanyl have a lethal dose.
“Sadly, these days, first-time opioid and substance misuse is trending to include younger-aged children due to social media and increased availability. With the flood of fentanyl-laced pills in U.S. communities, this can be deadly for our youth,” Howell Alliance Coordinator Christa Riddle said. “Parents, as our front line of defense against youth substance use, need to be educated and aware early in their children’s lives, well ahead of the adolescent years.”
The presentation also provides opioid misuse prevention strategies as well as support resources for youth-interacting adults, caregivers, and parents.
Dr. Steven Friedeman of Therapeutic Impact, L.L.C., delivers the PowerPoint presentation which is concluded by a Q&A session. Dr. Friedeman, who is a physical therapist in Howell, is also a township resident and active volunteer, as well as a parent who has participated in many community youth sports leagues with his two sons.
Additionally, the National Opioid Settlement Agreement is funding the program to support and prevent opioid misuse in the community.
If you are interested in hosting a “Tackling Opioid Misuse Through Prevention” presentation for your youth sports league or organization, contact the Howell Alliance at 732-938-4500 ext. 4500 or email criddle@twp.howell.nj.us.
For more information on the Howell Alliance’s substance use prevention and mental well-being initiatives and support resources, visit their website at twp.howell.nj.us/169/Alliance.
