This countywide program, modeled after an existing one in Gloucester Township, will install drug and alcohol counselors in every municipal court in the county
The Camden County Freeholder Board announced the addition of a new countywide program called Project SAVE (Substance Abuse Visionary Effort) Wednesday, Oct. 17, to combat opioid use, according to a press release from the county.
The pilot program is set to go into effect Jan. 1 next year. Eighteen municipalities have currently joined the initiative and others have until the end of the year to join.
The one-year pilot program is set to focus on early intervention for users who come into the municipal court system, connecting them with licensed social service professionals. Defendants will be given resources regardless of their ability to afford services.
The program is based off the initiative already in place in Gloucester Township, created in 2014. Since its inception, through this past September, the program “has been able to reach 178 individuals suffering from opioid use disorder,” according to the release.
Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. is the founder of the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force and says the model Gloucester Township created was inspiring and is a way to help even more people.
“We are looking at all options to make a long-term impact on this epidemic,” Cappelli said. “We have seen the impact this program has had on a small scale in Gloucester Township, and we believe as a governing body we should be opening it up and providing the same hope and opportunity for treatment, detox and recovery throughout the entire county. It is no secret that every municipality in the county is struggling with this crisis, and the sooner we have the ability to get professionals intervening to stop it, the better off residents will be.”
Cappelli had told The Sun on Sept. 12 the county was looking to find a way to expand or emulate Project SAVE on a countywide scale as a way to help and protect beginning addicts before their habits become more serious and life threatening.
According to the release, “by harnessing the use of regional contract management services, the Freeholder Board can leverage economies of scale for the participating towns to lower the overall costs of the program.”
The Freeholder Board will allocate $100,000 to start the program and continue to monitor its growth and results through the Department of Health and Human Services. Eighteen municipalities will be joining the new initiative.
The release indicates Camden County saw more people die from opioid overdoses in 2017 than from homicide and vehicle accidents combined, as opioid overdoses accounted for over 270 deaths in the past year, while there were 34 homicides and 49 fatal motor vehicle accidents.
Gloucester Township Police Chief Harry Earle endorsed the expansion of the program to a countywide initiative.
“The expansion of Project SAVE throughout Camden County will help prevent further tragic deaths due to this epidemic while also assisting police in reducing crime because we know that arrest alone does not effectively reduce crime,” said Earle.
Addiction, and mainly opioid abuse, continues to be a problem across the United States, and Cappelli believes the expansion of this program is just the next step in attempting to treat and help those fighting addiction.
“I believe opioid use disorder is the №1 challenge facing the county today,” Cappelli continued. “We have funded treatment, worked with our health-care providers and funded progressive harm reduction policies. This is the next phase for us to get at the heart of the issue.”
