Provided By The Camden County Board Of Commissioners

Last year, Camden County saw a 37 percent drop in fatal overdoses and that decline has continued into 2025. According to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, as of Feb. 26, there have been 22 overdose deaths compared to 40 at the same time in 2024 and in 2023. This has been the largest decline since 2022, when the number of overdose deaths sat at 58.

“The progress that we have made over the past year in Camden County when it comes to overdose and addiction is incredible,” said Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. “We have continually seen overdose deaths plummet, which just goes to show that all our investment into public health and harm reduction resources is paying off. But as always, we are not done yet. We will continue this fight until no life is lost to overdose ever again.”

According to the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner, there were 206 suspected drug deaths in Camden County from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2024, compared to 327 during the same time period in 2023.

In addition to the fall in fatal overdoses, there has also been a decline in Naloxone administrations from 2023 to 2024. According to the NJ Department of Health, between January and December of 2024, there were 1,326 Naloxone administrations given in Camden County as compared to the same period of 2023, when there were 1,683 administrations.

“When we look at the decline in fatal overdoses, we must recognize these percentages and statistics aren’t just numbers – these are actual lives saved,” said Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay.  “These are members of our community with friends and loved ones who care about them.  We must continue to partner with public and private entities to drive the number of fatal overdoses toward zero.”

The fight against the opioid and overdose epidemic kicked off in 2014, when the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force was formed in response to the devastating impact that the opioid crisis has had on the community. This task force is comprised of students, parents, teachers, civic organizations, medical professionals, public health providers, law enforcement and religious leaders. Its main purpose is to increase awareness of opioid abuse and addiction, reduce the demand for these substances, promote available resources for help and support the development of additional resources to treat and prevent addiction to opioids.

“The nearly 50 percent year-over-year reduction in January-February overdose deaths in Camden County is a testament to the county’s success in promoting harm reduction strategies and access to medically assisted treatment,” Congressman Donald Norcross said. “Camden County’s leadership in combating the opioid epidemic through its investments in public health and prioritization of treatment over stigma continues to benefit its citizens. But one overdose is still too many. Continuing to address the opioid epidemic, using models laid out by the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force, is one of my top priorities in Congress.”

Over the course of the last 10 years, Camden County has enacted several transformative initiatives aimed at ending overdose, ending the taboo around talking about addiction and getting those in need proper resources such as rehab, therapy or medically assisted treatment. These efforts include:

• Installing Naloxone boxes in every school, park and county owned building to expand access to this life saving, overdose reversing medication.
• Crafting a nationally recognized Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) program at the Camden County Correctional Facility that has shown to reduce overdoses of participants on a large scale after release.
• Using funds from the Opioid Settlement to introduce a mobile Buprenorphine pilot program where medically assisted treatment is dispensed from an outreach van and provides take home Naloxone kits to overdose and substance use disorder patients treated in emergency departments.
• Launching an extensive fentanyl awareness campaign to raise awareness about what fentanyl is and how deadly it can be.
• Providing free Narcan training sessions, fentanyl test strips, NaloxBoxes for social service organizations and mental health support for those who have lost a loved one to substance use disorder.

Anyone seeking addiction assistance should call 1-844-ReachNJ (732-2465), which provides free professional support for those facing addiction and their loved ones. If you are a Camden County resident suffering from substance use disorder, please call the Office of Mental Health and Addiction at (856) 374-6361.