Coalition to address use of opioids for athletes

AUGUSTA — The Coalition for Healthy & Safe Communities, a program of Center for Prevention & Counseling, is planning a new prevention initiative addressing the use of opioid pain relievers for sports-related injuries among young athletes.
This initiative compliments New Jersey Department of Education’s recent commitment to address and prevent the misuse of prescription drugs among young athletes. School Administrators, Athletic Directors, Coaches and Recreational Sports affiliates are invited to attend an inaugural event “Tackling Opioids through Prevention for Athletes,” on August 21st from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. at Skylands Stadium Event Center.
This complimentary 2-hour training includes a TOP Athlete Toolkit, dinner, and a ticket for each participant to attend the Aug. 21 Miner’s game, 7:05 p.m. start time. This event includes featured speakers, Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch who will share trends and resources to combat opioid addiction, Theo Sibblies, Mentor, Trainer, Coach and Motivational Speaker, to express how communities can help athletes, students and persons alike strive for achievement to sustain top performance in sports, academia and life in general; Martin Miller, Executive Director of Garden State Pharmacy Owners, Inc. (GSPO), to introduce a particular initiative he works diligently towards which is SOAP (Stop Opioid Abuse Program), a joint effort between the GSPO and NJ State Interscholastic Athlete Association (NJSIAA) to help prevent opioid abuse.
This event is free but, registration is required. For more information and/or to attend “Tackling Opioids through Prevention for Athletes,” on Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, please contact Ashley Brown at Center for Prevention & Counseling by emailing ashleyb@centerforprevention.org or calling (973) 383-4787, Ext. 231.