State Senator Nellie Pou: A Comprehensive Approach to Combating Addiction in New Jersey
The Big Idea:
● A leader who knows how to get things done, State Senator Nellie Pou has been dogged in her work to help New Jersey residents fight and overcome addiction and support families affected by the grief and trauma it can bring. Senator Pou sponsored legislation allocating resources from the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund to the New Jersey Department of Human Services to bolster addiction recovery programs statewide.
● Senator Pou believes that people deserve a real shot at a second chance. That’s why she created programs to use Opioid Recovery and Remediation funds, derived from drug company lawsuits, to expand proven systems like Support Team for Addiction Recovery (STAR) and STAR Jail. Each program aims to provide the tools and resources to help people with opioid use disorder to fully invest themselves into their health, with an emphasis on the more than 100,000 people in the justice system or re-entering society after incarceration.
Background:
● New Jersey’s opioid addiction crisis is serious, with more than 3,000 lives lost to drug overdoses in 2022 alone. The consequences for families and communities are severe. Addiction tears families apart, and can lead to financial stress, cycle of violence and generational trauma.
● To help address these concerns and make Jersey a place where families can thrive, Senator Pou smartly targeted funds from legal settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, to directly support expanding access to proven addiction recovery programs.
● Senator Pou takes a comprehensive approach to combating addiction and has a record of driving legislation across the finish line to help those in recovery. When the Paterson’s Straight and Narrow substance abuse treatment program building burned down in 2019, Senator Pou was instrumental in securing resources for reconstruction, bringing access to important services back for those in need.
● Senator Pou also led passage of a bill requiring the Police Training Commission to contract with a crisis intervention training center to better train police officers in responding to mental health crises. When police are better trained to respond to people in economic crisis or struggling with substance use, we can connect more New Jersey residents to the resources they need to get back on the right track.
Fun Fact:
The number of overdose deaths in New Jersey spiked 8% from 2019 to 2022. Health experts pin this increase on stress from the pandemic.
Their Take:
State Senator Nellie Pou
“This money is a needed infusion for those individuals in our midst who continue to suffer, and who continue to need treatment services. I believe that this expansion of funds, and the promise that it brings will reach people who have nowhere else to turn, and families who have endured indescribable grief, as well as emotional and financial stress because of this crisis.”
