Congressman Gottheimer Praises Nearly $300,000 Grant for Mahwah to Fight Opioid Crisis

Mahwah is One of Only Two New Jersey Towns to Receive Highly Competitive DOJ Grant

MAHWAH – This morning, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli, Mayor William Laforet, Ramapo College President Peter Mercer, and local community health experts to celebrate Mahwah securing a $299,360 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the devastating opioid abuse epidemic.

“The opioid crisis in this country is devastating our families, neighbors, and communities with more than 40,000 deaths per year, and we know that New Jersey is not immune,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We need to do more, and I am proud of Mahwah clawing this essential investment back from Washington to battle the crisis head on. Thank you to our brave first responders, who are on the front lines of this epidemic, for fighting to keep our communities safe and healthy.”

“Opioid addiction robs the heart and soul out of every family who is touched by it,” said Mahwah Mayor William Laforet. “I am grateful to Congressman Gottheimer for his support in receiving this grant and for everything he does to help fight opioid addiction in Mahwah.”

“This new grant for Mahwah will make a critical difference in our community,” said Carolyn Blake, President of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance, a volunteer organization in Mahwah working to prevent and fight substance abuse. “We look forward to working with the Mahwah Police Department to boost the programs, outreach, and preventative measures available to the residents of Mahwah.”

The funding, one of only two such grants awarded in New Jersey, will go towards providing more training for first responders, increasing the number of counselors available to combat the crisis, and improving coordination efforts with local educators and health care providers.

Congressman Gottheimer has made it a top priority to boost New Jersey’s return on investment for federal tax dollars already sent to Washington, and has focused on increasing those investments to directly fund the fight against the opioid crisis.

Last month, he celebrated clawing back $524,670 from the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for the Fifth District’s Center for Prevention and Counseling.

Last year, Congressman Gottheimer also announced that SAMHSA would be reinvesting $13 million dollars to improve New Jersey’s response to the state’s opioid epidemic.

In April, Congressman Gottheimer announced his Student Athlete-Stop Addiction Strategy to help protect student athletes from the opioid crisis.

He also supported several bipartisan bills this summer that Congress passed to establish demonstration programs for alternative pain management protocols, to establish comprehensive opioid recovery centers, and to strengthen the FDA’s ability to detain, refuse, and destroy substances identified through international mail facilities, especially as more heroin and fentanyl comes in through China.