Project SAVE – Evidence Based Innovation in the Municipal Courts That Provide Linkages to Care!
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Description
Project SAVE is a program generated with the municipal courts, police departments, Camden County’s Health Department, and a New Jersey licensed mental healthcare and substance abuse treatment provider. From the point of a substance abuse-related arrest through the court appearance, all stakeholders work together to offer warm interventions conducted by SAVE advocates. The advocates are mostly substance abuse counselors and counselor interns who are scheduled on certain days in each of the municipalities. All stakeholders work together to rearrange court schedules, etc. to ensure the offenders and counselors are in the courts at the same time. Judges, prosecutors, and/or defenders offer clients opportunities to work with the advocates. The advocates provide assessment, care management, referrals, and follow-up. Through this program, Camden County realized a 37% reduction in naloxone administrations by emergency medical services/law enforcement. From 2019 through April 2022, the program had more than 7,706 referrals. In addition, 2,008 individuals were engaged in treatment, 1,208 assessments were completed and 33,502 outreach calls were made. The program is an illustration of a collaborative effort that is supported, promoted, and funded by the county commissioners and offers client-centered engagement and significant contributions to a reduction of overdoses in the county.