The state's launching a new website today stop overdoses dot and Jacobs, where residents can find pharmacies that hand out naloxone, the drug that reverses an opioid overdose.

The website is part of Gov Murphy's Naloxone 3.65 initiative that provides free naloxone anonymously to anyone age 14 and older.

So far, more than 40,000 naloxone doses have been distributed, and this new website will show where each of the 610 participating pharmacies are located.

Meanwhile, a new partnership is launching between Hackensack, Meridian Health, Hikma Pharmaceuticals and the nonprofit dispensary of Hope to bring Naloxone to even more people.

I'm joined now by Hackensack Doctor Akasha to talk more about it.

Dr. Shah, great to have you with us.

Tell us about this take home naloxone program and how it works.

Well, the important thing to understand is that we are in the midst of an overdose crisis.

And so our goal through this program is to prevent as many overdoses as possible.

So if you're a patient at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, we have addiction specialist who will see you at the bedside, give you the care you need.

And before you go, we'll put Luxardo an overdose rescue agent in your hand at no cost at the point of discharge.

Why are so there's a collaboration here.

I want to better understand why collaborations like this are so critical.

You have a pharmaceutical company, you have a hospital, and you have a nonprofit all working together.

Explain what that looks like and why it's an important piece.

Well, at its core, Joanna, it's because this crisis is bigger than any one of us.

It takes a village to turn the tide against the overdose crisis.

And that's why Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Hackensack, Meridian Health and the dispensary of Hope are coming together to do this.

And many patients where they're at and save life after life after life in our community.

Explain just a little bit more how that collaboration works and how you're all coordinating to reach people who need this lifesaving treatment more and easier.

Absolutely.

So the way in which we're coordinating is even more pharmaceuticals is donating the medication to the dispensary of Hope, which we already have a collaboration with.

The Dispensary of Hope operates across our network, providing nearly $1,000,000 worth of medications at no charge in the hands of patients, medications like insulin.

And now because of this partnership, medications like Luxardo.

I'm sure you're aware the state recently launched its own program to try to get naloxone into the hands of folks using pharmacies.

Do you believe that there's.

Let me ask it to you this way.

Is there enough are there enough pharmacies participating?

Do we need more partnerships that look like this?

Is this something that can be scaled around the state just to to get naloxone into the hands of more people?

Well, I certainly think we don't have enough naloxone in the hands of those in need.

And we recognize that while having being able to get it at pharmacies is a great step, not everyone makes it from the hospital door to the pharmacy steps.

And so that's why we are making sure that it's in the hands of our patients before they even leave the hospital door.

So this is a pilot program.

What is the future of this program?

At what point do you decide this is something that will remain that that is needed to remain?

Well, that's for for folks far smarter than me to understand.

But I'll tell you this, knowing those folks, I have no doubt that if the data shows this is making the impact we firmly believe it will, then I have no doubt that we'll see more of this in the future.

Dr. Akash Shah, chief of addiction services at Hackensack Meridian Health.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.