Review team conducts 'social autopsies' to determine how to prevent drug overdoses

Narcan can reverse an overdose.

LINWOOD - The Atlantic County Overdose Fatality Review Team will share its annual report at a special meeting at noon Wednesday, Aug. 23 at Linwood Country Club. The team has been meeting virtually since early 2021 and has reviewed more than 125 cases of overdose deaths. The meeting will be the first in-person meeting for the group.

The Atlantic County OFRT works to prevent overdose deaths by reviewing the lives of those lost to an overdose. The team conducts social autopsies of those lost to an overdose in Atlantic County. Decedent's lives are strategically reviewed, from potential childhood trauma, the onset of use, attempts at recovery and ultimately what lead to their deaths.

The OFRT looks to identify trends or gaps in service, public systems and social services to make and implement recommendations for improvement in an effort to prevent future deaths.

Key findings of the report are:

• Stigma and negative stereotypes about substance use and mental health disorders continue to be a barrier to getting services/help


• Nearly half of the cases (48%) suffered from some form of mental illness


• 78% percent the decedents had a documented history with the criminal justice system


• Trauma was another trend identified during case reviews, with 30% of the decedents experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences and 30% of them experiencing a traumatic event as an adult


• 13% or about 1 out of every 10 of the overdose deaths occurred in a motel

The OFR team has reviewed 123 cases since the inception of the program," OFRT Coordinator Gretchen Halfpenny said. "These cases are emotionally difficult. However, our team honors those lives that have been lost to an overdose by learning how to prevent future deaths.

The team is recommending an increase in Narcan distribution, promotion of harm reduction messages, and education regarding the sedative Xylazine, which is a new and dangerous adulterant in the drug supply.

In addition to sharing findings from the past year, the team will explore the possibility of developing an Overdose Response Plan. Kim Reilly of the Ocean County Health Department who developed this type of plan in Ocean County will present on the topic.

According to the New Jersey State Police Drug Monitoring Initiative, Atlantic County was ranked number one as having the highest rate of overdose deaths in New Jersey per capita between Jan. 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2022.  According to the NJ Cares dashboard, Atlantic County saw 255 deaths in 2022 due to suspected drug overdose, putting the county at third-highest in total deaths in New Jersey for 2022.

The meeting will occur one week before National Overdose Awareness Day which is recognized on Aug. 31.

To learn more about Narcan and where you can get it, see http://www.jtacnj.org/narcannaloxone-resources.html

If you have lost a loved one to an overdose and would like to share your story, you can call the OFRT staff at 609-272-0101, ext 241.