SJ Magazine, July 2018 - Continuing their influential roundtable series on topics important to South Jersey, SJ Magazine’s Marianne Aleardi hosted 13 SJ leaders to discuss the widespread opioid epidemic. Participants shared passionate stories of their first-hand experiences working to combat the growing problem. On what people say about addiction… I hear this one a lot: “Didn’t they know better?” My message is: Look at me. I knew better. I treated probably 1,000 overdoses in my career as a paramedic. However, when it came down to an opportunity to numb hurtful things in my life, it just became an easy road to go down. If it was as simple as knowing better, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. -Stephen [...]

KYW News Radio, March 23, 2018 - Burlington County is kicking off a program next week that gives residents addicted to drugs a way to get the help they need in short order. The “Straight to Treatment” program will operate every Monday from noon to 7 p.m. at the Evesham Township Police headquarters. County residents can show up, turn in their drugs, and either go into treatment with Oaks Integrated Care or at least walk out with a plan. “Police are obligated to check on any outstanding warrants concerning the individual and must do their job as law enforcement if such warrants exist,” Coffina told KYW Newsradio. “However, Evesham PD is committed to working with the participant, the municipal [...]

Burlington County Times, March 23, 2018 - Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina on Friday announced the launch of his office’s “Straight to Treatment,” program, which will allow those struggling with addiction to turn in their drugs and paraphernalia at the township police department and meet with a drug and alcohol counselor from Oaks Integrated Care to be placed into treatment. After the initial screening, the person would then meet with a licensed drug and alcohol counselor from Oaks Integrated Care who would come up with a treatment plan. That could be finding them a detox bed, placing them in inpatient residential treatment, or referring them to an outpatient program, depending on their needs, according to Brenda Brown-Goggins, the vice [...]

Burlington County Times, January 5, 2018 - Through Gov. Chris Christie’s $200 million commitment to battling the opioid epidemic, Oaks Integrated Care received a $9.7 million grant to provide enhanced care management to those working towards recovery. Enhanced care management combines care management and recovery services for individuals who are “preparing for discharge from licensed treatment facilities that provide long-term residential, short-term residential, halfway house, inpatient withdrawal management and ambulatory withdrawal management,” according to the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. It is also available for individuals currently receiving outpatient treatment. Read Article Here

Burlington County Times, December 21, 2017 - The goal of the program, launched in December, is to get people who have overdosed the resources and treatment options immediately, while they are still in the hospital. Under the new program partnering hospitals call an on-duty recovery specialist when they receive a patient who has overdosed. The specialist then must get to the hospital as soon as possible, preferably in less than an hour, and try to obtain the patient’s consent to schedule a meeting and offer a variety of treatment options and services available. Read Article Here