Montclair launches opioid response street team to connect people with treatment & recovery services
The program is funded through New Jersey’s share of national opioid settlement funds.
Montclair is expanding its response to the opioid crisis beyond emergency calls, launching a new street team designed to help people before, during and after an overdose.
The Opioid Response Street Team is a partnership between the Montclair Health Department, Montclair Ambulance Unit and Essex Health & Wellness Recovery Center.
The program is funded through New Jersey’s share of national opioid settlement funds.
Amy Monaco, director of the Township Health Department, said the goal is to bring EMS, public health and recovery professionals together to build relationships in the community and connect people with care.
“We have a large amount of unhoused folks in town, and a lot of them have co-occurring substance use disorders,” Monaco said. “We thought a way to target some of the unhoused, but also people that have issues with opioids, we could have a street team that could go out and identify these people and then link them to care.”
Montclair Ambulance Unit Chief James Mazza said EMS has traditionally handled the middle of the continuum of care — responding to an overdose and taking the person to the hospital.
The new program adds both the “before” and “after.”
The community outreach component provides education, overdose awareness and naloxone training to people who want to be prepared to respond to an overdose involving a family member or someone in the community.
The street team also follows up with people at high risk for substance use disorder or those already struggling with it, building relationships and working to connect them with treatment.
“Now we truly are part of the continuum of care, Mazza said.
Mazza said the ambulance unit has responded to about 2,000 suspected opioid or alcohol overdose cases over the past decade and has administered naloxone about 100 times.
Since the street outreach portion of the program began about a month ago, the team has made more than 125 patient contacts, distributed about 60 leave-behind Narcan kits and helped connect at least one person to inpatient treatment.
The ambulance unit has also trained more than 400 people since 2023 to recognize the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose and use take-home Narcan.
The street team operates Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with two members working together — one from the Montclair Ambulance Unit and one from Essex Health & Wellness Recovery Center.
The team targets areas where they know there are higher levels of substance use and where people experiencing homelessness may be at greater risk.
Jonathan, a member of the street team, said each day begins with a plan to visit several areas, but that plan can change depending on who they encounter.
The team gets out of the vehicle, talks with people, provides education and resources, and works to build trust.
The team responds non-emergency when conducting outreach, without lights and sirens, which Jonathan said can help build trust with people who may otherwise be hesitant to interact with EMS.
Mazza said the team also carries naloxone, educational materials, medical supplies and comfort items.
The outreach is not limited to people who are unhoused.
Mazza said anyone encountered through the program can receive help, while the team is placing particular focus on people experiencing homelessness.
Robin Lavorato, executive director of Essex Health & Wellness Recovery Center, said building trust is a critical part of helping someone enter recovery.
She said people struggling with substance use disorder can face stigma, judgment and shame, making them hesitant to ask for help.
“Being able to go out into the community and build relationships with people who are struggling and helping them to start trusting us, they have a better chance of them saying yes to us when we want to get them the help they need,” Lavorato said.
The recovery center provides treatment and detox referrals, recovery support, case management, meetings, recovery yoga and educational programs.
The township is also exploring additional ways to expand access to naloxone, including a possible partnership with the Montclair Business Improvement District to train businesses and restaurants on how to recognize an overdose and use naloxone.
Monaco said the township received its share of opioid settlement funds after settlements with pharmaceutical companies involved in the opioid crisis. The funding is intended to support treatment, recovery and education efforts.
For the partners, the goal is to make sure an overdose response does not end when an ambulance leaves.
“We’ve always been doing the middle part,” Mazza said. “But we haven’t done the before and after.”
