A new mobile unit helps provide drug addiction treatment in Freehold, New Jersey to help Monmouth County residents struggling with substance use disorders.
The Hope One Monmouth Mobile Unit, unveiled by the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, is the drug addiction treatment mobile unit that goes into neighborhoods a few times a week. Hope One is comprised of an officer from the sheriff’s department, a peer recovery specialist and a certified clinician that assists people struggling with substance use disorders find the drug addiction treatment by connecting them to the nearest facilities. The team is also training family members of people struggling with substance abuse to administer naloxone.
The Hope One mobile unit was officially unveiled this month and is now helping people who need addiction recovery gain the help they need.
An official from the sheriff’s department stated that Hope One is unique because it reaches the people who need help instead of requiring them to seek addiction treatment services.
The Hope One program has been used in other counties in the state including Morris County, which has events throughout the year focusing on providing drug rehab services for local residents. Monmouth County is now adopting the drug addiction treatment mobile program in an attempt to reduce overdoses.
Hope One is being supported by Hackensack Medical Health, Carrier Clinic, Ocean Mental Health Services and Behavioral Wellness and Recovery, which are all substance abuse treatment services providers.
Hope One hopes to reduce the effects of the opioid epidemic in Monmouth County. According to the State of New Jersey Department of Law and Safety, there have been 144 suspected drug overdose deaths, 439 naloxone administrations, and 519,783 opioid prescriptions dispensed this year in the county.
An official from the district attorney’s office stated that Hope One brings another important resource to the public since it targets people who otherwise would likely not have the ability to access drug addiction treatment services.
The Monmouth County Health Department has been working on several angles to fight the opioid epidemic. In affiliation with the New Jersey Department of Health, it created the Monmouth County Overdose Fatality Review Team (MCOFRT). The MCOFRT comprises of several agencies including the Monmouth County Health Department, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Medical Examiner’s Office, Monmouth County Correctional Institution, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Monmouth County Mental Health.
The goals of the MCOFRT included an overdose prevention plan and bolstering the partnership between public health and law enforcement in Ocean and Monmouth Counties.
The emphasis of those goals incorporated locating missed opportunities for substance abuse prevention and holes in the system. It also comprised of creating working relationships between community investors on drug overdose prevention. The MCOFRT intended to recommend policies and addiction recovery programs as well as laws designed to prevent drug overdose deaths. It strived to prevent future overdoses by creating a local overdose and opioid misuse strategy.
The MCOFRT wanted to promote coordination among the different agencies that are involved in investigating drug overdoses or providing addiction treatment. It wanted to understand what was causing the drug epidemic in Monmouth County and create plans for what could be done to help prevent overdose fatalities.
The MCOFRT meets once a month at the Monmouth County Health Department and open discussions are encouraged.
Author: Robert B. Hayek
Robert B Hayek is a reporter for Addiction Now and covers features and local spotlight stories. He previously worked for Fox Sports as a production assistant as well as a writer and reporter for an online website called Real Talk Sports Network. He has lived in Southern California his entire life, is a lover of books and writing and also surfs. Contact Robert at roberth@addictionnow.com
