Prosecutors in Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem County are joining forces with the medical community to counter the opioid crisis in South Jersey.

Part of the plan is to create a scholarship to encourage more doctors, nurses, dentists and other providers to take part in a partnership for a drug free New Jersey.

Do not harm medical education course.

The course offers opioid prescribing education to health care providers and trains doctors on the best practices on how to responsibly prescribe opioids for pain management, in turn, breaking the cycle of addiction.

Ted Goldberg has more.

It's impossible to quantify the incredible losses that we have suffered, and I know that all of us have been to so many events where we have collectively mourned.

Each one of those numbers is a lifelong us and a family shattered, and we will continue to do this fight with all of our partners.

Prosecutors in South Jersey hope an online course for health providers can reduce overdoses from opioids.

It's constant.

It's daily.

It's unchanging, unwavering, really.

Jim Baird works for Inspira Health Network in Mullica Hill.The addicted population is one of the most vulnerable populations I think, that we take care of in the emergency department.

Vulnerable first for several reasons.

Every community is different, but it comes from not being able to predict who is going to succumb to the disease of addiction.

He says the opioid epidemic has changed, so health care providers and law enforcement have to change with it.

Fentanyl has all these other what we call adulterants, all these other additives, like the street slang is tranq or xylazine is the big one, now.

It's going to require an army of people to really come together, as well as collaborating with law enforcement, sharing data.

We don't have access to a lot of data points that we need to effectively take care of this patient population.

The courses provided by a Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey Executive Director Angelo Valente says prescribers statewide have become more careful about prescribing opioids.

After taking this course here in New Jersey.

Over 95% of prescribers who have participated in previous do no harm.

Continuing Medical Education Program reported that they learn best practices prescribing, and 90% of them said that this information helped shape the way that they provided prescribing in their own local practice.

South Jersey seems to be an area where there's a bit of overprescribing of opioids by our doctors, one of the highest areas in the state.

In Salem County, prosecutor Kristin Telsey says half of the population is prescribed opioids.

Responsible prescribing is the first and best opportunity to stem the tide of addiction.

The course will be available to health care providers in Salem, Gloucester and Cumberland Counties.

Our joint efforts can ensure that those who need those medication receive them in a safe, effective and protected environment.

Law enforcement leaders pointed out that this doesn't mean attention will shift away from arresting people who illegally sell opioids or smuggle them.

Today's threat is really exasperated by all the 30 pills that are fentanyl that are coming out of Mexico Make no mistake, arresting and prosecuting those organizations is an important part of harm reduction.

But we all know we can't arrest our way out of it either.

According to state data, the per capita prescription rate of opioids in New Jersey is less than half of its peak in 2015, when nearly 60% of New Jerseyans had a prescription.

That number could go even lower thanks to free programs like this one.

In Mullica Hill, I'm Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News