TOMS RIVER - A $150,000 grant from the state Attorney General's Office will be used to set up an "Opioid Response Team" here, Councilman Terrance Turnbach said.

Toms River's police department will partner with HOPE (Heroin, Opiates and Prescription drug Education) Sheds Light, a township-based organization whose goal is to promote awareness of drug and alcohol abuse and to provide information and resources for those with substance abuse problems.

"The police department and HOPE Sheds Light will go out and try to get people the help that they need," Turnbach said.

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Police Chief Mitch Little said that the response team will connect with overdose victims in the hospital. A trained officer, along with a peer recovery specialist from HOPE Sheds Light, will meet with overdose victims and their families and assist them with getting needed services.

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Little said he expects to meet shortly with representatives from HOPE Sheds Light to help work out the details of the plan.

Like many Ocean County towns, Toms River has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic.

In 2017, the township hired the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Motley Rice LLC to represent Toms River in a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. Toms River will not pay the law firm, which will instead take a percentage of any settlement money the township may receive.

In 2018, more than 3,000 people died from drug overdoses in New Jersey, including 217 in Ocean County, according to statistics released by NJ Cares, the state government site that tracks drug-related deaths.

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Watch the video above to see purple flags in Manasquan, which represent more than 1,300 opioid overdose deaths in New Jersey.

So far in 2019, there have been 125 drug-related deaths in Ocean County in statistics reported by NJ Cares for deaths through the month of July.

HOPE Sheds Light was founded by the Rosetto family of Toms River, after they lost their son, Marc, 32, to an overdose in 2012.

To reach HOPE Sheds Light, call toll-free, 1-855-850-HOPE, or 732-244-0783.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 35 years. A finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in public service, she's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, 732-643-4050, jmikle@gannettnj.com.