$2M Program to Help Increase Services in 10 Counties

Outpatient treatment services for substance use disorder will be expanded across much of New Jersey under a new $2 million program announced by the State, but Senator Anthony M. Bucco worries that some critical areas, including Morris County, have been forgotten.

Outpatient treatment services for substance use disorder will be expanded across much of NJ under a new $2 million program announced by the State, but Sen. Anthony M. Bucco worries that some critical areas, including Morris County, have been forgotten. (Wikimedia Commons)

“Addiction is a crucial problem across the state, and residents struggling to break free from the clutches of drugs will benefit from better, more accessible services in 10 counties,” said Bucco (R-25). “I am disappointed and frustrated that Morris County is absent from the list. The scourge of narcotics is no less entrenched, no less threatening, and no less lethal in this part of the state.”

According to the New Jersey Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Substance Abuse Overview for 2021, there were more than 2,500 admissions for treatment in Morris County.

“The numbers are troubling. To save lives, it is important to provide help as soon as possible,” Bucco said. “The availability and timely deployment of Narcan is helping prevent overdose deaths, and the effectiveness and support of Our Hope One teams, operated under the Morris County’s Sherriff’s office, tragedies are being avoided.

“But there isn’t enough help available for those who need it, and an infusion of money from the state would help close the gap and ensure more residents are rescued,” said Bucco. “Local communities are strengthened with every person who is saved and every family that is helped.”

Under the program announced this week, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic counties will benefit from contracts to expand substance use disorder outpatient treatment service hours.