JERSEY CITY – The New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC) and the Archdiocese of Newark announce the establishment of an addiction treatment referral program for individuals suffering from acute opiate addiction, effective July 1, 2023. The Archdiocese and NJRC signed a memorandum of understanding to acknowledge the collaborative relationship and coordinate and integrate services and care for adults with substance use disorders.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, stated, “In these past several years, there have been approximately three thousand overdose deaths annually in New Jersey due to the heroin, opioid, and fentanyl addiction crisis. The Archdiocese recognizes the need for greater resources and support for adults struggling with opiate addiction who often turn to a parish seeking help. This partnership between NJRC and the Archdiocese will provide an opportunity for our brothers and sisters to receive addiction treatment when in critical need. They will be connected to appropriate treatment services immediately following a referral from the Archdiocese.”

NJRC will provide voluntary training sessions to priests of the Archdiocese regarding referrals to addiction treatment services while collaborating with them to identify individuals seeking and requiring treatment. The training will better inform as to the scope of the opioid crisis and available treatment options. The priests will provide appropriate NJRC referral information to individuals interested in receiving such services.

Those in need of addiction treatment services will then contact NJRC’s Chief Operating Officer Robert Carter, who will be responsible for referring people to a clinical professional within a treatment agency that will evaluate potential clients.

NJRC COO Robert Carter stated, “Within 48 hours of a referral, NJRC will ensure clinical assessments and clinically-appropriate addiction treatment services for referred individuals. These services will include intake processing, creating a personalized long-term treatment plan, detoxification, ambulatory withdrawal management, induction of anti-craving medications to aid in treating opioid substance abuse, residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, and induction of medication-assisted treatment, as needed and appropriate.”

NJRC will document its services through a database and will conduct follow-ups with referred individuals, as necessary, provided appropriate confidentiality releases are obtained. Where appropriate, individuals will be enrolled and referred to NJRC’s Employment Orientation program to learn essential work skills and gain access to job-readiness workshops and assistance. Additional wrap-around services will be provided, including job training and employment, mental health and medical care, transportation, and license restoration services. NJRC will provide bi-annual progress reports to the Archdiocese for referred individuals.

NJRC Chair Jim McGreevey stated, “Thanks to Cardinal Tobin’s leadership and vision, we are taking a bold, immediate step to addressing the addiction crisis. So many families simply do not know where to turn in the midst of a suffering son or daughter. Now, parish priests, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers will have a referral source that will provide treatment within 48 hours. When someone is suffering and seeks help, we need to move quickly. As a result of this partnership, we are doing so.”

The Archdiocese of Newark and NJRC are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all referrals and will not use or authorize the use of any information except to fulfill the addiction treatment referral obligation. The MOU between the Archdiocese and NJRC shall be effective for one year, renewable annually.

The New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC) is a non-profit agency with a social mission to work with returning citizens, employers, and community partners to remove barriers to employment so that everyone in our community can be safer, healthier, and better employed. For more information, visit www.njreentry.org.

The Archdiocese of Newark serves 1.3 million Catholics throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. The Archdiocese has 212 parishes, 73 Catholic schools, and many missions and ministries. Hundreds of Masses are celebrated in more than a dozen languages each week. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark, leads the Archdiocese with four auxiliary bishops. Together, they serve the northern New Jersey community through faith, education, and social services. For more information, visit www.rcan.org.