Social Worker Policing Program To Expand Into Barnegat

BARNEGAT, NJ — Ocean County's On P.O.I.N.T. (Proactive Outreach In Needs and Treatment) program will be expanding into Barnegat this year due to increased funding.

The Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package, voted for by Congressman Andy Kim, included $32,000 for Ocean County’s On P.O.I.N.T. community-based policing program that embeds social workers with participating Ocean County police departments to reduce the need for police intervention in mental health and substance abuse cases.

Developed in 2016 to address the high volume of mental health, substance abuse and social service-related calls and incidents that use a significant amount of police and emergency resources, On P.O.I.N.T. currently pairs Bright Harbor Healthcare social workers with seven Ocean County police departments (Lacey, Lakehurst, Little Egg Harbor, Manchester, Ocean Township, South Toms River, and Stafford). With this additional funding, On P.O.I.N.T. will expand into Barnegat Township.

"So many of the challenges that law enforcement and society face together are rooted in the growing need for mental health services,” said Barnegat Police Chief, Keith A. Germain. “On POINT serves as the perfect example of what we can accomplish when we partner the police with mental health professionals in an innovative way. We see better outcomes, safer interactions, and a more efficient use of available resources."

“Bright Harbor Healthcare is thrilled to be able to expand our On P.O.I.N.T. program to Barnegat Township and would like to thank Congressman Andy Kim for working to obtain the federal funding making that possible," said CEO of Bright Harbor Healthcare, James M. Cooney. “On P.O.I.N.T. has been successful in seven other Ocean County communities, significantly reducing the number of repeat calls to police. Last year, in the communities ON-POINT serves, we have seen a reduction in police time responding to these repeat calls ranging from 70% to 88% providing a significant savings to those municipalities.”

“Since the inception of the On P.O.I.N.T. program in September 2016, the program has been able to assist hundreds of our residents in their time of need. With the additional funding for the expansion of the program into Barnegat Township, their department and community will be able to benefit from the program as well,” said Stafford Township Police Captain, James R. Vaughn. “Additionally, the On P.O.I.N.T. program has significantly helped reduce the need for our department and emergency medical services to be involved with reoccurring mental health episodes. It has also supported the department’s Community Policing Unit’s mission of building strong and longstanding relationships with our community members. Finally, the On P.O.I.N.T. program has built a great working partnership between our department and Bright Harbor Healthcare (formerly Ocean Mental Health Services), and we are looking forward to this partnership growing in the years to come.”

“I am incredibly proud to bring this funding home to support the revolutionary On P.O.I.N.T. program in Ocean County,” said Congressman Kim. “This program has already helped countless families struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues throughout our community. This program is what we need to strengthen public safety, help people who are struggling, and make sure we’re supporting our brave police officers that protect us every single day.”