America’s struggle with opioids continues to make headlines, as 91 people die every day in the U.S. from overuse of opioids. Recently, Gov. Chris Christie declared the opioid epidemic a public health crisis in New Jersey, which has a death rate from heroin double the national rate.
To combat the opioid epidemic in the Monmouth County area, Dr. Gregory Greco, plastic surgeon at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, has very detailed conversations about pain management and treats his patients with a non-opioid option that is injected during surgery to release a numbing medication into the body over time. This reduces, or in some cases, completely eliminates the need for prescription opioids after surgery. Greco’s office also has a strict narcotic policy to avoid overuse and misuse.
