Eva’s Village Announces the Implementation of the Opioid Overdose Recovery Program
Paterson, New Jersey (PRWEB) May 31, 2016 -- Eva’s Village, located in the heart of downtown Paterson, will implement the Opioid Overdose Recovery Program (OORP) in Passaic County on April 1st, working in tandem with health care partners through grant funding provided by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Eva's Village will have Recovery Specialists on call and on-site to offer support to patients who have been reversed from opioid overdoses. Eva’s Recovery Specialists - who are themselves in recovery from addiction - will provide peer-to-peer advice, counseling and guidance to help patients and families connect with treatment and recovery services in their community, with follow up for 90 days after their reversal.
According to Mike Santillo, director of integrated care services at Eva’s Village, “The use of Narcan to reverse opioid overdoses has saved the lives of hundreds of people in New Jersey. Unfortunately, many of these individuals leave the hospital without being connected to the appropriate treatment and recovery support services. This program is the vital next step in ensuring these individuals are able to access services to help them maintain long-term recovery.”
The program will be a natural expansion of the services provided within the New Jersey Recovery Community Center at Eva’s Village . The NJRCC-EV exists as a recovery resource for the community and maintains a structured daily schedule with peer-to-peer recovery support services; telephone support; recovery-related workshops, wellness classes, trainings and support groups; employment and housing assistance; social events and recreational activities; and childcare services.
As an extension of the existing peer-to-peer recovery support services program at the NJRCC-EV, the OORP will focus on two primary goals: (1) to engage individuals reversed from an opioid overdose; and (2) to maintain follow-up with these individuals. Engagement, and more importantly follow-up, is essential to the success of the program as it creates an opportunity to get individuals to accept treatment and/or support services.
To learn more about the Opioid Overdose Recovery Program or the New Jersey Recovery Community Center at Eva’s Village contact Cindymarie Cruz at 973-754-6784 or Cindymarie.cruz(at)evasvillage.org.
Founded by Msgr. Vincent E. Puma in 1982 as a response to the poor and homeless in Paterson, New Jersey, Eva's Village (http://www.evasvillage.org) is a non-profit comprehensive social service organization with a mission to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, treat the addicted and provide medical and dental care to the poor with respect for the human dignity of each individual. Eva's Village has grown from a simple soup kitchen to become the one of the most respected anti-poverty programs in the state of New Jersey and now includes twenty integrated programs.
Joanne Fagan, Eva's Village, http://www.evasvillage.org, +1 973-943-8858 Ext: 228, [email protected]
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