MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners has declared Sept. 24 as “Save a Life Day,” highlighting a significant decline in fatal overdoses and ongoing efforts to prevent overdose deaths across the county.
Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw presented a framed proclamation during the board’s Wednesday night meeting to Stephanie Gorman, assistant health officer with the Morris County Division of Public Health; Ashley LaPaglia, coordinator of the Morris County Overdose Fatality Review Team with Prevention is Key; and Patrice Reilly, director of Prevention Services at Prevention is Key.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, members of the prosecutor’s office leadership staff and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon also attended.
“Save a Life Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about opioid overdose prevention and the importance of having naloxone, also known as Narcan, available and knowing how to use it,” said Shaw. “The progress we are seeing reflects the work of many agencies and organizations across Morris County, and the continued effort to understand what is behind these deaths and how we can prevent them.”
Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.
Morris County has experienced a steady decline in fatal overdoses since 2017, including a 66% decline from 2024 to 2025. The county’s overdose death rate was 2.9 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2025, the lowest rate in New Jersey, according to data from the New Jersey Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner.
“Fatal drug overdoses in Morris County are declining,” Gannon said during the county’s annual Overdose Awareness Day ceremony Aug. 31. “It tells us that our collective efforts, education, outreach, treatment and support are making a difference. But it also reminds us that our work is far from over. Every single loss is one too many.”
A key part of the county’s overdose response is the Morris County Overdose Fatality Review Team, which was launched in 2020 through a partnership between the county Division of Public Health and Prevention is Key, with funding from the New Jersey Department of Health.
The team meets monthly to confidentially review fatal overdose cases, identify patterns and gaps in services and develop recommendations for prevention and intervention.
“We actually held a case review meeting today,” LaPaglia said during the commissioners’ meeting. “Although it’s sad work to be doing, it’s work that needs to be done.”
LaPaglia said toxicology results reviewed by the team show overdose deaths involve people using combinations of substances, with fentanyl appearing in virtually every case.
Carroll said his office is seeing changes in the local drug supply, including an increase in cocaine and the continued presence of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other synthetic substances.
“We’re also seeing the rise of xylazine, which is another synthetic drug — a horse tranquilizer — that is killing people. And Narcan does not work on that,” Carroll said.
“We’re researching this, and we’re dealing with it,” he continued, thanking the Overdose Fatality Review Team for its work to prevent overdose deaths in the county.
Morris County’s overdose response also includes the Sheriff’s Office Hope One and Hope Hub programs, the Hope Wing at the Morris County Correctional Facility and Navigating Hope, a mobile outreach partnership between the Morris County Department of Human Services and Family Promise of Morris County. The programs connect people with treatment, mental health services, benefits and other resources.
Since its launch in 2017, Hope One has made approximately 77,000 community contacts and provided 14,886 trainings on the emergency use of naloxone. Through those trainings, 196 lives have been recorded as saved. The program has been replicated in nine other New Jersey counties.
Save a Life Day is observed nationally on the fourth Thursday of September to raise awareness about opioid overdose prevention and expand access to naloxone. The commissioners’ proclamation encourages people to learn how to recognize and respond to an overdose, raise awareness about prevention and connect individuals and families with treatment and recovery resources.
