“The Ocean County Health Department’s Alcohol and Drug Unit is beginning its County Comprehensive Planning (CCP) Process following guidelines established by the New Jersey Department Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services,” said Daniel Regenye, Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) Public Health Coordinator. He continued, “The CCP documents the county’s current and emergent drug use trends as well as both the availability and organization of substance abuse services across the county’s continuum of prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery support.”

Kimberly Reilly, OCHD Alcoholism Coordinator, will be facilitating this process. She said, “In order for us to collect meaningful information and insight on county needs, we are looking for volunteers from the following special populations to participate in group meetings:
• Senior citizens
• Youth (up to the age of 18 years)
• Women
• Individuals affected/impacted by the criminal justice system
• Criminal Justice System Employees
• Persons convicted of Driving under the Influence
• Persons with physical/mental disabilities
• County employees
• Persons with co-occurring disorders

Reilly continued, “Regarding the composition of the above mentioned groups, we are looking for those who belong, work with, advocate for, and provide services to the individual groups. By inviting a wide array of people relating to each group, we hope, at these meetings, to get a wealth of information on the substance abuse needs for these specific populations. Hopefully, these meetings will offer a wonderful opportunity for those belonging to and working with these specific populations to have a voice in the community and in the planning process.”

For more information, contact Kimberly Reilly at 732-341-9700, ext 7536 or at Kreilly@ochd.org. If you would like to sign up for the meetings, please use the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GP36375.