Left to right: Natalia Amoroso, Prevention Specialist; Morgan Durant, Prevention Specialist; Stephanie DeRosa-Hillmann, Senior Manager, Training Institute; Morgan Zapata, Family Advocate; Michelle Garcia, Senior Manager, Communities That Care; Sarah Comey, Manager, Human Trafficking Prevention; Nicole D’Ambrosio, Manager, Communities That Care Asbury Park; Brian Preiser, Manager, Training Institute; Roberta Rapisardi, Assistant Director, Prevention and Training Institute; Chelsea Stack, Senior Manager, DART Youth Prevention Coalition of Ocean County; and Amy Piacente-Desch, Senior Manager, DART Prevention Coalition of Ocean County
Ocean County, NJ - January 22, 2025 - The RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR) DART Prevention Coalition of Ocean County (DART) celebrates its 15th anniversary and honors its community partners' dedication to prevention work.
DART is comprised of community leaders, including law enforcement and government officials, educators, business owners, substance use professionals, faith-based leaders and youth. Using a data-driven approach, DART continually assesses substance use trends in Ocean County to implement community-level strategies that best address the county's unique needs. Strategies include policy advocacy, training for alcohol retailers, promotion of prescription drug drop boxes, community presentations, technical assistance to emerging local coalitions and coordination of 15 Youth Prevention
Coalitions.
“Over the past 15 years, DART has grown into one of the county's most valued and collaborative prevention programs,” said Amy Piacente-Desch, Senior Manager, DART Prevention Coalition of Ocean County. “That’s largely due to our incredible team and coalition members who advocate, collaborate and partner with local organizations and leaders to create meaningful change in our communities. While we celebrate the incredible work the Coalition has accomplished these past 15 years, we continue to expand our initiatives and address community needs.”
Speaking to DART’s collaborative and innovative work, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer shared, “The DART Prevention Coalition of Ocean County has been a trusted community partner with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Together, we have collaborated on a number of successful programs and initiatives. I look forward to working with the Coalition over the coming years, partnering on new initiatives and strengthening communities throughout the county.”
Notable highlights from DART’s history include:
- Being named the 2018 Coalition of the Year by CADCA
- Placing 3rd in the CADCA 2023 Annual Dose of Prevention Challenge for DART’s National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month digital campaign
- Partnering with the NJ Realtors Association to help implement education and training on locking up medications in the home, along with other valuables, during showings and open houses
- Partnering with the Ocean County Funeral Directors Association to provide all county funeral homes with fact cards outlining safe medication disposal steps for loved ones’ unused medications
- Assisting municipalities in passing ordinances requiring responsible beverage server training for all establishments that sell or serve alcohol
- Training and certifying almost 2,000 individuals in the TIPS curriculum for servers and sellers of alcohol, including resident assistants of college housing
- Assisting 23 of 33 Ocean County municipalities in passing ordinances prohibiting possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors on private property (private property ordinances)
- Distributing over 4,000 safe medication disposal kits, which include drug deactivation system pouches, a safe, convenient and permanent disposal method for unused, expired or unwanted medications
- Sponsoring the installation of four prescription drop boxes in Ocean County and assisting 15 police departments in securing permanent prescription drop boxes, bringing the total number of police department prescription drop boxes from three in 2012 to 27 in 2024
- Performing a mapping study with the New Jersey National Guard Counterdrug Task Force along with county staff and students to identify school-based physical risk and protective factors and inform potential school policy changes
Additionally, DART conducts annual presentations and trainings for businesses, communities, schools and other organizations on topics including vaping education, marijuana education, medication management, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) training, current drug trends, “Creating Safe Spaces,” “Athletes and Opioids” training, social media safety, Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) training and other trainings as requested. Trainings and presentations are scheduled based on community needs and interests and are designed to raise awareness and educate the community. DART also distributes over 15,000 fact cards annually throughout the community, sharing valuable information about topics such as safe medication storage, sharps and needles disposal and smoking and vaping risks.
“The DART team has made tremendous strides in growing its coalition and building a sustainable prevention model in Ocean County,” said Connie Greene, Senior Vice President, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery. “I am honored to work alongside such a dedicated team, who strive to build healthier, more resilient communities.”
For more information about the RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery, visit RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery or call 833-233-IFPR (4377).
About the Institute for Prevention and Recovery
The RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR) is a leader in creating the systems and services necessary to improve the health of communities throughout New Jersey. For more than 30 years, IFPR has provided substance use disorder prevention programs, nicotine and tobacco treatment and innovative recovery support and social care services, taking a systems change approach to address social determinants of health and enhance care delivery systems throughout RWJBarnabas Health and New Jersey.
Media Contact
Jaimee Cali
Jaimee.Cali@rwjbh.org
732-288-5334