Gov. Chris Christie (R) touted the nearly 11,000 lives Narcan, a drug used to stabilize overdose patients, has saved in New Jersey since 2014 at a press conference at Hoboken University Medical Center.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIYry5sqYYs&feature=youtu.be[/fve]
Joined by various officials from across the state, the press conference kicked off with Chris Goeke, the executive director of Morris County Prevention is Key, praising the governor’s efforts in this initiative before giving the podium to Don Hubera, a former drug addict who now helps administer the Narcan training program.
State Senator Joe Vitale (D-19), who has been at the forefront of drug treatment legislation, stressed that addiction is an issue that doesn’t see party lines.
After Christie, who also attended a Narcan training program today, talked up the work efforts of Vitale and law enforcement officials across the state (particularly Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato) before going over the numbers related to Narcan.
Christie also touched on the steps necessary to help people achieve long-term recovery.
Adding that his ultimate goal is for all 21 New Jersey counties to have a recovery coach program, which he believes is instrumental to beating drug addiction, the governor emphasized, as he has many times before, that drug addiction is a disease that sufferers and their families should not be judged for.
During the question and answer session with the media, Christie explained the issues of Narcan saving the same drug user’s life on multiple occasions.
