Stafford Police Join County's 'Blue Hart' Heroin And Addiction Recovery Program

Stafford Township is joining several other major Ocean County municipalities in the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office's"Blue Hart" program to fight heroin addiction.

"Blue Hart" stands for Blue Heroin Addiction Recovery and Treatment Program. It was formally known as HARP - the Heroin Addiction Response Program.

Stafford will join Brick and Manchester townships on May 23 to participate in the program, which provides critical addiction recovery help, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office

The “Blue HART” program allows substance abusers to turn themselves and their product in at any of the three participating police headquarters, in order to go to addiction services providers for treatment evaluation without any threat of charges or jail, he said.

Stafford will join the initiative by collaborating with Ocean Mental Health in Manahawkin and in Bayville. The Brick police department is aligned with Preferred Behavioral Health in Lakewood and the Manchester police department works with Integrity House in Toms River.

Immediate critical help will be available at the Stafford police department on Tuesdays, in Manchester on Wednesdays and in Brick on Thursdays, Della Fave said.

Blue HART goes beyond OCPO’s initial proactive Narcan and Recovery Coach Program measures to offer more help to reduce the impact of heroin and opiate abuse in our communities.

Anyone who voluntarily enters the three participating agencies and requests help with addiction to heroin or opiates, or any substance, shall be immediately screened for potential participation in the program, Della Fave said.

The program is primarily designed to apply to persons who present themselves at the station. But an officer who thinks a person needs the help can bring a person to the police station if they consent to the voluntary screening process, he said.

After the screening process, the officer or shift provisor must provide transportation for the participant to an agency as soon as reasonably possible.

“To date, Brick and Manchester Police Departments have accounted for over 160 participants accepted into the program, thanks to the generous commitment of Behavioral Health and Integrity House," Coronato said. "Bringing the partnership of Stafford PD and Ocean Mental Health into the program is a great step in expanding options to those in Ocean County seeking addiction help."

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