Bergen County COSSAP FY2020

The Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) was developed as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) legislation. COSSAP’s purpose is to provide financial and technical assistance to states, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support those impacted by illicit opioids, stimulants, and other drugs of abuse.

The objective of Category 1 is to encourage and support the development of comprehensive, locally driven responses to opioids, stimulants, and other substances that expand access to supervision, treatment, and recovery support services across the criminal justice system; support law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs for nonviolent drug offenders; promote education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by substance abuse.

The BCPO-COSSAP Project will establish a comprehensive, evidence-based response to the opioid crisis. This response will be composed of multiple teams and initiatives, including the Heroin Addiction Recovery Team (HART), Fair Lawn Initiative (FLI), and a county-level Overdose Fatality Review Team. These teams will work independently and share data to best coordinate response needs for opioid and addiction needs across Bergen County. This project serves Bergen County, which is home to 948,046 residents. The project includes partnerships between the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association; Bergen County police departments; Newark Community Solutions, Center for Court Innovation; Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources, a division of Children’s Aid and Family Services; Bergen County Health Department and Division of Alcohol and Drug Dependency; and New Bridge Medical Center.

CA/NCF