Center Will Offer a Unique Environment to Aid Families Improve Prevention Techniques and Provide Support to Individuals and Their Families in Recovery.
Community in Crisis (CIC) has opened a one-of-a-kind Wellness Center in space donated by the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church. The Center provides community and family support by offering workshops, informational sessions, programs and referral services. The primary goals of the Center are to help individuals and families foster healthy lifestyles by learning how to deal with stress and peer pressure, and work with individuals in recovery to ease reintegration with their families and the community. Currently, the Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 6 – 9PM and is located at 1 East Oak St, Basking Ridge.
The Center’s programs will be geared toward increased education and awareness to help prevent substance abuse from early childhood, as well as reducing the prevalence of relapse among individuals in recovery. These programs include: dealing with stress, depression and anxiety, often precursors for addiction; exploring core values and beliefs; pastoral support; effective communication at home; co-dependency; yoga and meditation; healthy parenting classes; naloxone (an opioid antagonist used for the complete or partial reversal of opioid overdose) training; mental health first aid training, parental education of the signs and symptoms of drug use, and more. Plans are also afoot to engage recovery coaches and volunteers to work with the recovering addict on successful reentry into their home environment and community: this initiative is driven by the statistic that 90% of relapses occur within 72 hours of being discharged from rehabilitation therefore making it critical to connect with a peer mentor immediately.
Jean O’Connell, Treasurer of CIC and Project Manager for the Center, said, “When an individual is addicted, the whole family is addicted – it has widespread impact on the individual’s whole support system. This center will provide a confidential and non-judgmental location for anyone in the community to ask for information, seek advice, and feel supported and equipped to face the challenges that drug abuse can trigger. With last week’s announcement that 2016 was the deadliest year on record for fatal drug overdose deaths in NYC, the need is urgent and we know we need to mobilize resources. We could not be more grateful to Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church for providing us with this space as a first step towards a larger and fully operational Wellness Center in the future.”
Jody D’Agostini, CIC Board Chair, added, “This center has captivated the imagination of so many in the community. We were thrilled when Bernards Township Chief of Police Brian Bobowicz stepped up to volunteer and paint the space to help us open on time – early mornings and evenings, he made it happen! Our ultimate hope is that this center will become the model for other communities to implement.”
For more information or to volunteer, contact cicwellnessctr@gmail.com or call 908.766.5120 during office hours.
