Building Better Tomorrows, One Life at a Time

BRIGHT HARBOR HEALTHCARE

Law Enforcement Support/Veterans/Court Diversion

ON P.O.I.N.T.

Proactive Outreach in Needs and Treatment

At Bright Harbor Healthcare, we believe in building strong, healthy, safe communities. As such, we provide law enforcement support to aid in reducing the impact of poverty, social problems, and inequity in all communities.   Law enforcement support has become the de facto response to any type of crisis.  We recognized an opportunity to partner together to achieve our mutual goal of community wellness and safety, thus creating the On POINT Program in 2016 with the Stafford Township Police Department.

Our approach and partnership have been carefully designed to let each profession excel and operate within its areas of strength and expertise.  On POINT embeds social workers in the police departments to collaborate effectively with officers and address the community’s needs.  On POINT provides an easy access point for officers to refer those in need without the burden of knowing all available programs, services, and the modality to access them.  Part of the referral process is indicating any concerns for safety or the need for a joint outreach with the social worker and officer.  Most frequently, On POINT social workers reach out to and engage those referred without the presence or involvement of an officer.  Through this approach, officers simply become the bridge to mental health, addiction, and social need services instead of the resolution.

Since the inception of On POINT, we have opened the doors of communication between the two professions and discovered ways in which we can complement and assist each other to the benefit of the communities we serve.

The On POINT team provides an assessment of needs, brief case management, referral, and linkage to services along with follow-up. The goal of this law enforcement support program is to ensure community residents are able to easily access available resources that will lead to long-term stability and quality of life. Participation in On POINT is completely voluntary.

Participating Ocean County Police Departments:

2016

Stafford Township Police Department

2018

Little Egg Harbor Police Department

2020

Lacey Township Police Department

2020

South Toms River
Police Department

2021

Lakehurst
Police Department

2022

Barnegat Township
Police Department

2021

Ocean Township Police Department

2022

Brick Township
Police Department

2021

Manchester Police
Department

Program Objectives:

Ongoing Collaboration, training, education, and law enforcement support

Reduction in the use of
acute and
emergency services

Reduction in psychiatric and emergency room screenings via police transport

Reduction in recurring crises that repeatedly absorb police and emergency resources

On-going development of early intervention, pre-arrest, and jail diversion programs

Engaging community
members to achieve stability
and wellness

Program Outcomes:

Cost-Effective

Reproducible

Sustainable

Enhance Community
Policing Efforts

Address the overwhelming need for service and support for citizens

Contact Information:

Any questions concerning the On-POINT program can be directed to our Access Department via phone at (732) 575-1111, (877) 621-0445, or via email at access@brightharbor.org

Phoenix Program

The Bright Harbor Healthcare Phoenix Program will serve military service members and veterans, with serious mental illness (SMI) or co-occurring disorders (COD), along with their family members in Ocean County. The Bright Harbor Healthcare program is a joint partnership effort with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and The Ocean County Department of Human Services.

The Phoenix Program will deliver Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) to military personnel and veterans.  Assertive Community Treatment is an evidence-based practice that offers treatment, rehabilitation, and support services, using a person-centered, recovery-based approach, to individuals that have been diagnosed with serious mental illness

The goal of the program is to preserve public safety by addressing the behavioral health needs of military service members and veterans who encounter law enforcement due to SMI or COD. The objective of the program will be to improve symptomatology, reduce psychiatric hospitalizations and reduce encounters with police.

Program team members will include an American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) credentialed Psychiatrist who will be responsible for guiding the treatment of all program members. Additionally, an Advanced Practice Nurse and a Registered Nurse would serve as valued team members. The APN would provide Psychiatric Evaluation and medications monitoring when indicated, while the RN would be essential to responsibly integrate medical care with behavioral health care.

Additional Team Members:

Substance use disorder clinician

Vocational
specialist

Veteran mentor
– peer counsel

Coordinating
case manager

Behavioral health clinician trained and certified in trauma-informed care and evidence-based treatment such as EMDR or Brainspotting as well as Prolonged exposure therapy

Please call the Phoenix Program at 732-349-1977 ext 601 or email phoenix@brightharbor.org for more information.

*Referrals for this program will be received from police and behavioral health care providers in partnership with local police (i.e. PESS, On Point, Blue Hope, Opioid Overdose Recovery Program).