This is one of those columns I wish I didn’t have to write, but the fact of the matter is drug addiction—especially the abuse of opiates and opioids such as heroin and Oxycontin—are taking lives at an alarming rate.
There were 166 overdose deaths in Mercer County from 2012-15, including 55 last year alone. Contributing to the death rate is the fact New Jersey has some of the highest heroin purity rates in the nation. Of the 430 individuals arrested by Robbinsville Police for narcotics since 2015, close to 65 percent of those were for opiates/opioids. Drug addiction is not an inner-city problem. It is everyone’s problem, and Robbinsville is not immune.
In conjunction with the Robbinsville Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse (R*MAPSA), the Robbinsville Police Department and a handful or caring and willing partners, I am proud to announce the formation of Robbinsville C.A.R.E. as part of an ongoing effort to offer treatment options for those suffering from opiate/opioid addiction.
Robbinsville C.A.R.E. (Community Addiction Recovery Effort) has been standard operating procedure by our police department since January 2016. The program begins with on-duty officers coordinating an action plan to aid those arrested in the township struggling with opiate/opioid addiction by providing resources and access to treatment at the time of arrest. Conditions of that access include no current detainers (i.e. arrest warrants) in their name. Robbinsville C.A.R.E. allows RPD officers to offer a pathway to recovery by providing resources, access to treatment and guidance from a trained drug counselor.
We are proud to say that eight of the 19 arrestees offered intervention from the end of January through the end of May accepted and received treatment. Three of those eight individuals had no insurance but qualified for treatment scholarship through a Recovery Advocates of America scholarship. Other towns certainly identify the opiate problem, but many do not really have a plan of action to support it. We have a plan and are taking action.
In Robbinsville, we believe every crisis is a window of opportunity, and our police officers genuinely care. They are not just out there padding arrest statistics. Although the vast majority of individuals eligible for this potentially life-saving intervention are just passing through our town, opiate dependency is knocking at all of our doors. We feel it is important that Robbinsville Township take a leading role in the treatment and recovery process with this plan of immediate intervention, and our sincere hope is that this initiative catches on throughout Mercer County.
Helping us achieve this goal is a local opiate task force, which consists of, but is not limited to, Recovery Advocates of America, City of Angels and InFocus Urgent Care. Our police will provide the certified drug counselor and the person struggling with addiction a safe, private setting to discuss the process of getting the help needed to begin the recovery process. Treatment scholarships are based on eligibility and availability.
If you or someone you love is struggling with drug dependency, please contact any of these local agencies for help now: NJ Addictions Hotline at (800) 322-5525; Narcotics Anonymous of NJ at (800) 992-0401; Mercer Council on Alcoholism & Drug Addiction at (609) 396-5874 or City of Angels NJ, Inc. at (609) 910-4942.
Dave Fried is the Mayor of Robbinsville Township.
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