Ocean Gate And Lacey Have Joined Ocean County Prosecutor's Addiction Treatment Program

When Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato launched the "Blue HART" program earlier this year, only three police departments in the county were able to sign on to participate.

Now you can add two more to the list. Both Lacey Township and the Ocean Gate police departments have joined the initiative - which stands for Heroin Addiction Response Program.

HARP allows substance abusers to turn themselves in, along with their substances to any of the now five participating police departments to go for help without any threat of charges or jail, said spokesman Al Della Fave.

The other departments already involved include Stafford, Brick and Manchester.

The “Blue HART” program, which initially began on January 9, 2017 under the name HARP, was the first of its kind law enforcement addiction help program. And it goes way beyond Narcan treatment and recovery coaches.

"The premise of the program is simple – any person 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.

"There's nothing to fear at all," he said. "They will be welcomed with open arms."

Ocean Gate and Lacey Township quietly began prepping their programs in mid-June, to fine tune their operations, Della Fave said.

Lacey and Ocean Gate will collaborate with Ocean Mental Health in Manahawkin and Bayville.

The reason other towns in Ocean County do not participate in the program yet is simply due to a shortage of beds for recovering patients. But Della Fave said the Prosecutor's Office hopes to slowly change that.

People accepted into the program are often sent to treatment centers around the country, he said.

"When we get other centers involved, it will spread to other communities," Della Fave said.

Stafford is already aligned with Ocean Mental Health, Brick is partnered with Preferred Behavioral Health in Lakewood and Manchester works with Integrity House in Toms River. The expansion of the program now makes help available at Ocean Gate and Lacey police departments on Monday, Stafford on Tuesday, Manchester on Wednesday or Brick on Thursday for those seeking immediate critical help in fighting drug addiction.

“I applaud the participating police department’s proactive efforts and eagerness to help those in their communities fight this tragic epidemic," Coronato said. "Since January, “Blue HART” has helped over 200 individuals to successfully fight the curse of addiction. I cannot thank enough Behavioral Health, Integrity House and Ocean Mental Health for their generous commitment to the people of Ocean County in making our vision a reality. Our county leads the state in providing lifesaving options to those fighting and seeking addiction help.”

Although HARP is primarily designed to apply to persons who turn themselves in to a police station, an officer who encounters a person outside the police station and thinks they would benefit from HARP has the discretion, based upon their training and experience, to bring the person to the police department, if the person consents to the voluntary screening process.

Image: Ocean County Prosecutor's Office