Bensalem Police Launching Opioid Program

BENSALEM, PA — People struggling with opioid use and other drug addiction in Bensalem can now look to the police as a source for help.

The Bensalem Township Police Department has announced a new initiative aimed at helping people caught up in what the department called an opioid epidemic.

Through the program, residents struggling with substance abuse can come to the police department and request help through the Bensalem Police Assisting in Recovery Program (BPAIR).

The program is a partnership with the Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission and Gaudenzia, a drug treatment center with a local branch in Bristol. Through it, anyone interested can get a video screening assessment via teleconferencing with a counselor.

The screenings will be available Monday through Friday. Police say the screenings will allow people to be assessed within 20 minutes, as opposed to the hours-long process of setting up an in-person screening.

The counselor will be able to immediately begin a bed search, if the person needs a treatment facility, or provide outpatient resources, police said. Free rides also are available to treatment through the program.