RCA Adds SUD Program for First Responders, Military in New Jersey

Recovery Centers of America on Tuesday announced the addition of a substance use disorder treatment program in New Jersey that is tailored to first responders and military personnel.

Recovery Centers of America at Raritan Bay will operate the RESCU (Recovery Emergency Service Community United) Program in a treatment unit specifically for first responders and military through a collaboration with sheriffs from Middlesex, Atlantic and other New Jersey counties, as well as state troopers, representatives from the Police Benevolence Fund, South Amboy (New Jersey) law enforcement, firefighters and other first responders.

Treatment in RESCU incorporates specialized therapy, counselors and residential beds in a unit separate from other clients. Programming includes private group sessions, peer support groups, family sessions and individualized sessions. RCA also offers first responder-specific AA and NA meetings.

The RESCU Program is open to active and retired personnel. It was launched at RCA’s facility in Devon, Pennsylvania in 2018, and the company has since expanded it to its locations in Indianapolis; Danvers, Massachusetts; Westminster, Massachusetts; and Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

“This is a giant step forward in the treatment of our first responder, law enforcement and military service community in the state,” David Dorschu, CEO of RCA at Raritan Bay, said in a news release. “The RESCU Advisory Board’s support for the program is essential and will include supporting critically needed infrastructure such as the implementation of Cop2Cop, a 24-hour hotline available to law enforcement and their families.”

Dorschu noted in the release that plans are also in development for mobile crisis teams and first responder-specific intervention services for the entire state.