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Following Town Hall, Mazzeo Pledges Continued Commitment to Fighting Heroin Epidemic

Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo applauded the 150 attendees who on Tuesday participated in a community town hall meeting aimed at combating the state’s heroin and opioid epidemic.

“I’m grateful to those who showed up to bring more awareness to an issue that’s affecting too many Atlantic County families,” said Mazzeo (D-Atlantic). “From talking with people after the meeting, it seems not only did people learn a lot, but they want to stay engaged in a real way to fight this epidemic. To me, that’s a win. In the coming months, I’ll continue to educate myself and my colleagues in Trenton about how important this issue is, and I’ll work with new ideas that came from the meeting to try to craft legislation that will help those affected and their families.”

The meeting, held at Atlantic Cape College in Mays Landing, featured testimonials from four Atlantic County mothers who either have lost children to the epidemic or are currently in recovery, along with a panel of distinguished individuals working in the field including: Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain, Dr. Bob Zlotnick, executive director of Atlantic Prevention Resources, Alan Oberman, CEO of John Brooks Recovery Center and Eric Scheffler, a recently-retired Atlantic City Police Department lieutenant.

“We’ve seen the heroin epidemic hit all walks of life; it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, rich or poor, urban or suburban. It doesn’t discriminate. That’s why I’m committing myself to work with anyone who’s willing to join me in taking on this fight — for our families and for our community,” Mazzeo added.