PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — 2021 was the worst year in several years for overdose deaths in New Jersey, and the state has been pumping millions into the fight against opioids.
A nonprofit organization providing addiction treatment services in Burlington and Camden counties is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds to do more.
Oaks Integrated Care has addiction treatment centers in Cherry Hill and Mount Holly.
Oaks Vice President Mike D’Amico says the money from the state will allow them to invest more in proven methods to help people.
“When we’re working with folks, it’s not just about the treatment necessarily,” D’Amico.
“But we’re working to try to help people align and recover, and work towards what their chosen, valued role in life is.”
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D’Amico said that’s helping people finish school, find a job, or even find a place to live so they can continue on a path of sobriety.
“Most everybody I’ve ever talked to knows somebody in their life who has struggled with addiction or mental health,” said D’Amico.
He said one of the keys to success is treating a person holistically, rather than separating addiction and mental health from primary care.
“Investing in that, I think, is going to really be key and critical, and I think will be really beneficial for our healthcare communities as a whole,” said D’Amico.
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“It allows community behavioral health providers to be on equal footing with healthcare in terms of what we’re able to offer, what we’re able to do as treatment providers.”
Another important use of the money, he said, is recruiting more people to work at Oaks and increase the number of professionals working on the front lines of the fight against opioid addiction. He said finding that talent has been a challenge for the last couple of years.
“Make it something that is financially appealing to them as much as it’s appealing to their sense of mission and their sense of serving,” said D’Amico.
More than 3,100 people died of a drug overdose in New Jersey in 2021, and Camden County had the second-highest one-county total in the state.
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