County's C.L.E.A.R. program kicking off Monday
Photo by Daniel Freel/New Jersey Herald Newton Medical Center recently presented a check for $7,500 to the Sussex County Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery Program, known as C.L.E.A.R. From left: Newton Police Chief Michael Richards; Newton Medical Center President Joseph DiPaolo; Katie Calvacca from the Center for Prevention and Counseling; and Becky Carlson, executive director of the Center for Prevention and Counseling.
Posted: Jul. 17, 2016 12:01 am
NEWTON -- After months of preparation and training, the Sussex County Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery Program kicks off Monday at 8 a.m.
The collaborative programs will offer assistance to persons with substance use disorders by providing a safe place to voluntarily turn in illegal substances and paraphernalia and by connecting individuals and family members to certified volunteer recovery coaches.
Walk-in hours for screening for participation in the program are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Newton Police Department on Trinity Street.
"We want to encourage people to come and seek help," Newton Police Chief Michael Richards said, adding that having addicts hear from people who have overcome their addictions will be "positive" and uplifting."
People who seek recovery by going to the Newton Police Department will be escorted by police to the Center for Prevention and Counseling, where they will be able to meet with a recovery coach who will help guide them on their road to recovery.
"When I was going through this (addiction), I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone, my family or friends, because they'd think I was a horrible person. So I didn't ask for help" said Chris Ennis, who volunteered to be a recovery coach. "I needed someone to talk to, and I want to be that person that I needed. I'm not there to judge. I'm there to talk and help guide."
Ennis said he began battling his addiction when he was 18. He moved out west and got clean, but after becoming a single father he returned to New Jersey and began using again.
Now in recovery for five years, Ennis said the two biggest factors in his sobriety are his son and his love of fitness. He goes to the gym and competes in Spartan and Tough Mudder races with his girlfriend.
"It's about having a healthy body and healthy mind and keeping it clean," he said.
The program has about 15 volunteers said Katie Calvacca, recovery support coordinator for the Center for Prevention and Counseling.
In addition to coaches to work with individuals, recovery coaches are also available to work with families, said Annmarie Shafer, a coalition coordinator for the Center for Prevention and Counseling.
"We have moms, dads, siblings, loved ones who know how to help," Shafer said.
Devin Kennedy, who also volunteered to be a recovery coach, and has been sober 21/2 years, said she believes peer counseling would have helped her while she was trying to beat her addiction to alcohol.
"I never had this option," Kennedy said.
She said she believes it will be good to be able to sit and discuss her experiences and journey and how it is related to the people she will meet with.
Richards said though the program is starting off small, with people seeking recovery able to show up only at the Newton Police Department, he said in time the program hopes to spread to all departments in the county.
"We also hope to have coaches be able to go to Newton Medical Center to speak with people who overdose," Richards said. "But for now we just want to get the ball rolling."
Since its inception in November 2015, the program has gotten the support of many municipalities in the county as well as the Board of Chosen Freeholders in the form of resolutions.
The Sussex County Association of Chiefs of Police Chiefs recently donated $1,000 toward the program, and several treatment centers have committed scholarships to help those who want to recover.
In recovery for the last 13 years, recovery coach Kelly LaBar said that while she was using drugs she never saw anyone get any better and beat their addictions.
"I get it. I've been there and I'm not there anymore," LaBar said. "And my life is so much better because I'm not."
She added, "No one is a lost cause. Everyone can get better."
For more information visit www.clearprogram.org.
Joe Carlson also can be contacted on Twitter: @JoeCarlsonNJH or by phone: 973-383-1292.
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Our Opinion
Community response to addiction epidemic
Posted: Jul. 17, 2016 12:01 am
An ambitious and much-needed program to address the area's growing drug addiction problem -- announced just four months ago -- is in place and ready to start Monday.
The Sussex County Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery Program, in the making since November and formally introduced to the public in March, will provide a safe place to voluntarily turn in illegal substances, but more than that, will provide a process to connect addicts with help.
The program's mission statement, delivered at a press conference in March by Newton Police Chief Mike Richards, one of the program's founders, "is to form a collaborative network of professionals in our community who will facilitate medical intervention, improved access to treatment, and recovery support for those struggling with drug addiction who seek assistance, without fear of arrest or prosecution, in order to make a positive difference in the quality of life for individuals, families and our entire community."
Partners in the CLEAR endeavor include the Newton Police Department, the Center for Prevention and Counseling, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office, Newton Medical Center, the Sussex County Police Chiefs Association and the Sussex County Department of Human Services, along with support from local and state government officials.
A key to the recovery efforts and the CLEAR initiative is the role of certified volunteer recovery coaches -- persons who have overcome their own addictions and have been trained to assist those trying to get clean.
The program has about 15 coaches ready to provide insight into what addicts are experiencing and who will be among the first people to make contacts with addicts who want treatment.
In announcing the program in March, Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch said his hope was that people addicted to drugs could take advantage of the program and seek help prior to becoming caught up in the criminal justice system.
"This program is a rebirth in our county for people seeking recovery," Koch said. "The program is an exciting start for Sussex County in its fight against addiction."
He cited statistics showing that since 2014, Sussex County has had more than 45 overdose deaths.
Starting Monday, persons seeking treatment can walk in for screening for participation in the program from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Newton Police Department on Trinity Street. They will then be escorted by police to the Center for Prevention and Counseling to meet with a recovery coach.
Later the program hopes to have coaches be able to go to Newton Medical Center to meet with overdose victims. "But for now we just want to get the ball rolling," Richards said.
Likewise, the program is anticipated to spread beyond the Newton Police Department to other law enforcement agencies in the county.
"There's no easy solution to complicated problems," Richards said previously. "But the Sussex County CLEAR program has a very proactive and collaborative approach that I believe can be more effective because we're working together. This approach is hopeful."
Rachel Wallace, director of clinical services at the Center for Prevention and Counseling, echoed that sentiment.
"We believe in the individual's ability to recover, absolutely," Wallace has said. "It simply starts with someone asking for help, and the Sussex County CLEAR initiative is here to offer that help."
She explained that "increasing access to treatment without consequences is key to engaging those addicted in the treatment they so desperately need and deserve. Every life is worth saving."
As the program was designed and is being put into action, it is apparent that a community problem needs a community solution, clearly.
