PSA Video: "BREATHE" - Help an Overdosing Friend, Call 9-1-1
It’s Understandable Why High School and College Students Would Worry About Getting in Trouble for Calling 9-1-1 for a Friend Who Has Overdosed.
That’s what makes this PSA so important.
The Mahwah Police Department is honored to support Mental Health Awareness Month along with the Bergen County Juvenile Officers Association which spearheaded an initiative with multiple agencies, including the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association, the Bergen County Prevention Coalition, and Alumni in Recovery. That initiative, a PSA video entitled "BREATHE" is a first-person short film in which high school students worry about getting in trouble for calling 9-1-1 for a friend who has overdosed. The production was coordinated by the President of the Bergen County Juvenile Officers Association, Glen Rock Police Officer Matthew Stanislao. This initiative is a collaborative effort by local and county agencies throughout Bergen County to promote New Jersey's Good Samaritan Law.
The New Jersey Good Samaritan Law is designed to encourage individuals to seek medical assistance for drug overdoses without fear of legal repercussions. The law provides limited immunity from arrest, charge, or prosecution for certain offenses for those who seek medical help for someone experiencing a drug overdose. This law is aimed at promoting prompt medical attention in overdose situations in order to save lives. The main message, resist the urge to panic or run away in this situation; call 9-1-1, stay, help and give the victim a chance. Please take a moment to watch this PSA, it is less than five minutes and it may just save a life.