U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker convened a statewide summit today to explore solutions to the heroin and opioid addiction epidemic gripping New Jersey and the nation.  Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (N.J.-09), Acting State Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett, representatives from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), local law enforcement, the medical community, addiction services providers, and mental health advocates participated.

“Too many New Jerseyans have fallen victim to addiction.  Too many lives have been lost.  Too many families torn apart,” said Sen. Menendez.  “We need an ‘all hands on deck’ approach, including physicians, nurses, patients, families, law enforcement and communities.  Successfully addressing our nation’s, and our state’s, opioid addiction crisis requires us to be creative, to think outside the box, about how to not only serve those individuals battling an addiction, but to effectively prevent addictions in the first place...”

...Continue reading article here.