Those Struggling With Drug Addiction Have A Unique Place To Seek Help In New Jersey

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There are many reasons people walk into police stations, usually to report a crime or because they're accused of committing one.

But since March, more than 50 people have gone to the Evesham Township police station ready to change their lives and deal with their drug addictions. It's a program called "Straight to Treatment."

"There was one individual that they referred directly to us and within 15 hours we were able to get them into treatment and started on medication," said Samantha Dowgin with Oaks Integrated Care.

Oaks Integrated Care, a local addictions treatment provider, has partnered with Evesham Township as the first town in Burlington County to do the "Straight to Treatment" pilot program. It was initiated by the prosecutor's office.

"Sometimes the people with addiction that break the law are not career criminals but people who really need help," said Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.

The program is part of a broad approach to the opioid epidemic which includes enforcement, education and expanding treatment.

"And that's what straight to treatment tries to do, is expand treatment options for people who are struggling and don't know how to get help," Coffina said.

By getting help at a police station, addicts can also clear some of their legal hurdles like outstanding warrants. Starting next week Pemberton Township police will implement "straight to treatment with another provider called Solstice Counseling. Pemberton has seen a disproportionately high rate of narcan saves this year, so they'll look to mimic Evesham's success.

"I think the thing that we have to understand about a person who may be suffering with some kind of addiction is that we have to try to get them into treatment at the time that they're ready to go," said Brenda Brown Goggins, vice president of Oaks Integrated Care.