NCADD-NJ’s Work First New Jersey Substance Abuse Initiative (SAI) is a statewide welfare to work program which is funded by the New Jersey Dept. of Human Services’ Division of Family Development (DFD). NCADD-NJ has operated the SAI since July of 1998. The target population has been Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA) clients who have substance abuse barriers to employment.
As of June 30, 2009, the SAI has received more than 44,000 referrals, conducted over 37,000 clinical assessments, and placed nearly 28,000 clients into treatment.
The SAI has clinical care coordinators (CC) in every county welfare agency in NJ. The SAI CCs conduct comprehensive assessments of the clients referred by welfare using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), the DSM- IV-TR and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria to determine the severity of the client’s problem and the appropriate level of care to place the client in. The SAI CCs refer clients to treatment at NJ Division of Addiction Services licensed and approved treatment providers for the SAI Treatment Provider Network. The SAI CCs pre-approve clinical service units, provide utilization review by conducting regular clinical service reviews with the treatment provider clinical staff, and authorize payment for services provided based on client treatment attendance and urine drug screening information forwarded to NCADD-NJ by the treatment providers. The SAI CCs also decide when a client needs continued care, needs to step down to less intensive care, needs to be stepped up to a more intense level of care or is ready for discharge from treatment. When clients have completed their treatment goals and are discharged from treatment, the SAI CCs refer the client back to welfare to be placed in a work activity.
SAI CCs also provide case management services for clients in the form of arranging with welfare client transportation to treatment, childcare while the client attends treatment and emergency assistance in the form of housing. Download a copy of our SAI brochure.
SAI SUCCESS STORIES
Essex ICM
The client was referred to the SAI for her fourth episode of care. She was referred to the SAI because she had been sanctioned due to failure to attend treatment. She had an open DYFS case with one child in her custody. The client was homeless because she had lost her Temporary Rental Assistance and had exhausted her Emergency Assistance benefits to pay for shelter placement. The client was temporarily living with friends. The SAI addressed her addiction by working with the client from the housing perspective. In order to regain housing she would need to attend treatment and produce negative drug screens. Through significant motivational interviewing she accepted a referral to residential treatment. It was not an easy road for the client in residential treatment as her son was placed in a less than desirable arrangement. In addition, the client’s father became extremely ill while she was away. The client completed residential treatment and was successfully detoxed from methadone completely for the first time in many years. She completed outpatient aftercare treatment and accessed additional sober living supports. The client was able to regain custody of her son and gain employment. She became a support for fellow clients as well. She has recently re-gained custody of three of her other children who had been out of state for over five years. The SAI’s role in the client’s recovery was to develop a relationship with the client that would allow her to be able to trust that her health and safety were our priority. The client was able to come to the conclusion that she needed help and she trusted that we would help her. The client was aided with housing, advocacy with DYFS, gathering information (birth certificates, etc.) along the way. This client gave permission to be contacted for speaking engagements. She is currently working full time for a tax service facility.
Camden ICM
This client is on her second episode of care. The client was assessed on 7/17/2008, at that time she was placed inpatient at the Matriark program for women and children. Prior to her admission to Matriark she had a significant history of Crack Cocaine Dependence. She completed that program on 8/7/2009. She then completed Intensive Outpatient Treatment as her aftercare. She also completed the Continuing care evening program for Center For Family services. She was awarded a 5 year S-rap housing voucher and currently resides in Deptford. Her DYFS case was successful closed. The SAI was instrumental in coordinating her continuum of care through each level of care.
Passaic ECC
Client 1
This client is currently in her 5th episode of care with the SAI. She was originally referred to us back in June of 2000. The client was not actually assessed by the SAI until her 3rd episode of care in November of 2003 due to the fact that she failed to show for any of her scheduled appointments. In her 3rd episode of care, she was referred to treatment, but failed to attend, leading to another case closure. In May of 2007, during her 4th episode of care, the client finally began outpatient treatment at Options Counseling Center, but dropped out in July of 07 leading to her 4th case closure with welfare sanction. It was not until her 5th episode of care which began in March of 08 that the client finally appears to have made the decision to be successful in treatment. The client began this episode of care on OMT at Paterson Counseling Center where she was given until August of 08, but continued with poor treatment results. She was ref erred back to Options until the SAI was able to get her a slot in the SAI/Integrity Methadone To Abstinence program at Integrity House. The client entered that program in September of 08, and then successfully completed it in April of 09. She was reunited with her last remaining child that had not been adopted, and entered the Straight and Narrow mother and me program in April of 09, and successfully completing that program in November of 09. Her treatment course then brought her to the Hope Residence at Eva's Village in November of 09, which she finally has completed as of March of 2010 (Successfully). At the beginning of this episode of care, the client started it as homeless (Living in a truck), and pregnant while on OMT. Two years later, she has her own home, she is stable, and has custody of her youngest child. This is a major accomplishment, given that this client's older children have all been adopted out due to her history of heroin problems. DYFS was moving to have her youngest child adopted as well, but considerable work on the part of the client, with SAI assistance and advocacy has helped her to turn her life around.
Client 2
This client successfully completed her one and only episode of care with the SAI in February of 2010, after a long and difficult year of treatment. She was originally referred to the SAI in January of 2009 by Passaic County DYFS due to heroin use by the client. She had been referred to the SAI by CURA (Where she had been sent for long term residential care by DYFS) as a triage client once she opened her GA case in Hudson County. As the client's DYFS case was open in Passaic County, her case was transferred to me. The client has an extensive history (3 years of heroin use), and an extensive history of abuse that stemmed from an extremely dysfunctional home life and a drug addicted mother as well as a former employer. The client successfully completed CURA in March of 09, was awarded custody of her child upon her transfer to Eva's Village Hope residence. It was at this phase of her treatment where she began to struggle. The client was diagnosed as Bi-Polar II and prescribed Seroquel. In addition to Bi-Polar disorder, the client also suffers from seizures and a heart murmur. She began to experience behavioral problems while at Eva's, and although she was there for four months, she was discharged from that program in August of 09. The discharge came after the client misappropriated funds from an Eva's fund raiser to buy her daughter a present; although she planned to replace the money, Eva's still discharged her. At this point, the SAI was called into a DYFS family team meeting with the client where she was given her chance to speak, and explain her perspective. The client never once submitted a positive drug screen during her time at Eva's or after, and expressed the extent of the abuse and lack of support that she has suffered from throughout the course of her life. The client agreed to a referral to the Challenge Program MICA IOP, and also agreed to put off retaking custody of her daughter until she could acquire stable housing. While at Challenge (From 9/09 to 1/2010), the client did everything that was asked of her. She was compliant with treatment and her mental health care, and finally was able to acquire stable housing to get custody of her child back. DYFS and family court wanted to refer the client back to inpatient care upon her discharge from Eva's. It was the SAI who advocated for the client to given the chance to continue her aftercare as she had not done anything to warrant inpatient care (i.e., relapse/test positive on a drug screen). The client is a success story, because despite her psychiatric/drug use/lack of support, she has been able to weather all the difficulties she has encountered. Were it not for the SAI, she would have been sent back to inpatient care, at which time, I believe she would have regressed and possibly relapsed.
Mercer ECC
The client was referred by the Mercer County Board of Social Services and had an open DYFS case, but did not have custody of her children. At the time of assessment, the client's youngest child had been removed due to her crack cocaine use and she was in her third trimester of pregnancy. The client reported an 8 year history of crack cocaine dependence. The client was about to lose her housing due to loss of rental assistance from welfare. In conjunction with DYFS and welfare, the SAI worked with this client to place her in a Mother and Me program 6 weeks after she had the baby who was removed at birth due to testing positive for cocaine. The client completed that program and returned to the Mercer County area with her child. She was connected with IOP and then OP treatment in this area and worked with welfare to go to school. She has completed her substance abuse treatment and the classroom portion of her school program. She is now working on her internship to become a Medical Assistant.
Ocean ECC
The client was referred to the SAI for her 7th EOC. Her previous episodes date back to 2002. The client attempted every level of care SAI offers (IOP, PC, inpatient) with limited success. The previous episodes were closed for non-compliance. The client has a 16 year history of cocaine use and would often drink beer to come down off of cocaine. She reported a history of depression since she was a teenager with 2 past suicide attempts. The client has 4 children. At the time of assessment in 2008 the 8-year-old twins were in kinship care and the 6-year-old was adopted by her godmother. The 1-year-old had been placed in foster care. For the first year of the baby's life the client did not see her due to her non-compliance with treatment recommendations.
The client was referred to short-term inpatient treatment at Sunrise House which she successfully completed. She then transferred to Sunrise's Halfway House where she attended for 1 year and 5 months. The client was stabilized on psychotropic medications to treat her depression. In 5/09 she was reunified with her daughter who has special medical needs (ear tubes, seizures). The client was committed to caring for her daughter while remaining focused on her recovery, attending a work activity, and remaining active within the 12 step community. The client was successfully discharged from Sunrise Halfway Home on 12/15/09. She relocated back to Monmouth County where she is attending Level I for aftercare at Recovery Innovations. The client has remained abstinent and is residing with family while she looks for housing under her section 8 grant.
Cumberland ECC
This client is a 33 year old female who came to SAI in September 2009 for her ninth episode of treatment. Client had a five year history of heroin and cocaine use. Client was placed on Suboxone. After being placed on Suboxone she agreed to attend IOP at Maryville. While in treatment client remained drug free. Client has been actively working on improving relationships with her children and mother. Client has four children ages 7 months, 5, 10 and 11 year old. Client’s older children are in the custody of client’s mother and the relationship between the two had been very stressful due to client’s active drug use. After being abstinent, client’s mother took her in to live with her and her three oldest children. Client and her mother continue to work with treatment provider on improving their relationship. Client’s relationship with her children has also improved. Treatment provider reports that client is highly motivated, working on discharge planning which includes preparation for full time employment. I believe that client’s success story comes about because when everyone thought that she could not make it, her SAI Case Worker believed she could. This was a very difficult case, the SAI staff had to call the police and ambulance on this client in the past due to the severity of her addiction and she has done a complete turn-around. When the client was hopeless, SAI caseworker was hopeful and encouraged client to use support systems including SAI to help her during difficult times.
Hudson ECC
At the time of assessment the client was using PCP, was unable to manage her anger, and struggled with grief/loss issues. During the course of treatment, she completed everything that was asked her by every agency. She has been able to maintain abstinence, complete parenting classes and now is active in a 12-step program with a sponsor. Since January, she has been granted visitation on weekends with her children and is in the process of reunification. She graduates Integrity OP today and she currently attends GED school at the Adult Learning Center in Jersey City. Her counselor, Gambel Tarantino raves about the progress she has made.