The Operation Helping Hand (OHH) Initiative is a program where law enforcement plays an integral part in identifying individuals with substance use disorders and, together with community partners, serves as a point of entry into treatment and/or recovery support services.  By conducting door-to-door outreach or by deploying the mobile van, Somerset County OHH’s goal during each encounter is to have law enforcement, accompanied by recovery support specialists, engage residents in need by providing on-the-spot referrals to treatment and other resources.  

In Somerset County, the success of our OHH initiative would not be possible if not for the hard work and dedication of its community partners, Community in Crisis and the working professionals of Somerset County Department of Human Services, R4R Program (Richard Hall Community Mental Health Center), Somerset Treatment Services, and EmPoWER Somerset / Pioneer Family Success Center.

Former Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal developed OHH as a new way to combat opioid addiction in Bergen County while serving as the County Prosecutor in 2016. Under his leadership as Attorney General, the first multi-county OHH initiative was launched in five counties in June 2018. Through the use of federal and state funding, the OHH program was expanded to 17 counties in September 2018, and to all 21 counties in the state in September 2019.

• Reach 4 Recovery (R4R)  - Richard Hall Community Health & Wellness Center
• Somerset Treatment Services
• Somerset County Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services (PESS)
• The Center for Great Expectations
• RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery
• NJ Dept of Human Services – Mental Health and Addiction Services
  • Treatment Directory
  • Service Hotlines
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline
• Publication (PDF):  Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide (Third Edition); 2014.

• 2^nd Floor Youth Helpline 
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
• Empower Somerset
• One Pill Can Kill 
• Prevention Resources, Inc.
• Project Medicine Drop (LOCK IT UP/RX DROP BOXES)
• Safe Communities Coalition Hunterdon & Somerset
• Somerset County Municipal Alliance Committees 
• NJCares.gov
• Publication (PDF): Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide for Parents, Educators, and Community Leaders (Second Edition); 2003.

• Al-anon 
• Alcoholics Anonymous  
• City of Angels
• Comfort Zone Camp
• Community in Crisis
• EmPower Somerset
• GRASP 
• Love More for Julius
• Nar-anon 
• Narcotics Anonymous 
• NJ Vet2Vet
• Not an Easy Fix 
• PIONEER Family Success Center
• Shatter Proof 
• SMART Recovery