Celebration at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center recognizes a decade of comprehensive programs and compassionate care for those affected by substance use disorder.
Award Recipients: Honorees recognized for their outstanding contributions to addressing addiction and advancing prevention, treatment and recovery efforts in New Jersey. Pictured from left to right: Valerie Mielke, Deputy Commissioner for Health Services, New Jersey Department of Human Services; Indu Lu, Chief of Staff, RWJBarnabas Health; Jennifer Sternbach, Assistant Vice President, Pharmacy, RWJBarnabas Health; Connie Greene, SVP, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery; Mark E. Manigan, President and CEO, RWJBarnabas Health; Luciana Cinicolo, Administrative Director of Clinical Effectiveness, RWJBarnabas Health; Andrew Vassallo, Critical Care Pharmacy Specialist, RWJBarnabas Health; Megan McGrane, Director of Advanced Practice Provider Education, Emergency and Hospitalist Medicine, RWJBarnabas Health; and Chris Freer, EVP and Chief Clinical Officer, Accute Care Services, RWJBarnabas Health.
LIVINGSTON, N.J., September 24, 2026 – The RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR), with RWJBarnabas Health Acute Care Provider Services, hosted Tackling Addiction Together: A Decade of Transforming Addiction Care at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. RWJBarnabas Health senior leadership, state leaders, behavioral health and addiction specialists, Rutgers faculty and partners and other health care providers and professionals gathered to recognize a decade of progress in transforming addiction care and supporting individuals and families affected by substance use disorders.
The program is part of a year-long series of events celebrating the 10th anniversaries of the Peer Recovery Program (PRP) and the Tackling Addiction Task Force (TATF), as well as their unwavering commitment to transforming how patients with substance use disorder are supported throughout all RWJBarnabas Health hospitals and facilities. Since launching in 2016, the Peer Recovery Program has reached 150,000 patient referrals.
“Today we celebrate the great strides we have made over the first ten years, and we celebrate every life saved and every life we have helped turn around and give renewed meaning,” said Mark E. Manigan, President and CEO, RWJBarnabas Health. “As important as it is that we look back, it is even more vital that we look forward to the continued work ahead. It takes a well-organized and fine-tuned team to take on the most important and pressing health challenges, and we have that team here at RWJBarnabas Health.”
The TATF was created to coordinate and strengthen RWJBarnabas Health’s systemwide response to the addiction crisis. Its initiatives include pilot programs for medications for opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder, a systemwide pain collaborative, and substance use disorder education for providers and nurses.
“I am proud of the work we’ve accomplished, particularly in the championing of medical treatments for individuals with substance use disorder,” said Dr. Chris Freer, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Acute Care Providers, RWJBarnabas Health. “These care options are not only effective for helping individuals with substance use disorder, but they also help us, as providers and leaders, to reduce the barriers and stigma around addiction and recovery care.”
Working in close collaboration with the TATF, the PRP provides 24/7 recovery support to patients with substance use disorders across all twelve RWJBarnabas Health hospitals Through hospital-based recovery specialists, patient navigators, and case managers, the program connects individuals with peer support, treatment and resources that address their long-term health and wellness needs. Today, more than 100 hospital-based Recovery Specialists use their lived experience with recovery to connect with and support patients.
The PRP began in 2016 at Monmouth Medical Center and Community Medical Center, initially serving emergency department patients who had received naloxone following an opioid overdose, and expanded to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center later that year. By 2018, the program had expanded to serve hospital patients with all substance use disorders, integrating Recovery Specialists into hospital care teams alongside physicians, nurses and other providers.
As IFPR continues to advance this work, it maintains a close, collaborative partnership with the Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC), the largest comprehensive addiction research center in the country. The partnership brings together researchers, clinicians and community members to advance research and innovation in addiction prevention, treatment and recovery and help translate scientific discovery into programs and services that support communities across New Jersey.
“This anniversary is an opportunity to recognize how far we have come while recommitting ourselves to the work ahead,” said Connie Greene, Senior Vice President, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery. “For 10 years, the Tackling Addiction Task Force and Peer Recovery Program have demonstrated the difference compassionate, coordinated care can make by meeting people where they are, connecting them with critical support and helping them build a path toward long-term recovery.”
The event included a presentation highlighting current programs and initiatives, two panel discussions and an awards ceremony recognizing the leaders, health care professionals, and partners who have supported TATF and PRP over the past decade. The program also underscored RWJBarnabas Health’s continued commitment to expanding comprehensive prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services across New Jersey.
IFPR is the first and the largest, most comprehensive provider of hospital-based recovery support services for those suffering from substance use disorder in the United States.
State Panel: State officials discuss the landscape of addiction in New Jersey during a panel moderated by George Helmy, EVP and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at RWJBarnabas Health.
Rutgers Panel: Leaders from RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers participated in the RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Collaboration Panel during the Tackling Addiction Together event, discussing collaborative efforts to advance addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and research in New Jersey. Pictured from left to right: Chris Freer, EVP and Chief Clinical Officer, Acute Care Services, RWJBarnabas Health; Ethan Cowan, MD, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Population Health, Rutgers Health; Danielle Dick, PhD, Director, Rutgers Addiction Research Center, and Professor of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Mark E. Manigan, President and Chief Executive Officer, RWJBarnabas Health; Connie Greene, Senior Vice President, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery; Frank Ghinassi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rutgers Health University Behavioral Health Care; and Alexis LaPietra, Medical Director, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery.
Data Blitz: RWJBarnabas Health leaders and colleagues at the Tackling Addiction Together event. Pictured from left to right: Chris Freer, EVP and Chief Clinical Officer, Accute Care Services, RWJBarnabas Health; Reyna Maybloom, Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery; Angela Cicchino, Assistant Director of Provider Engagement, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery; Mark E. Manigan, President and CEO, RWJBarnabas Health; Connie Greene, SVP, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery; and Nicholas Beam, Director of Recovery Support Services, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery.
Acute Care Services: Members of the Acute Care Services team at the Tackling Addiction Together event. Pictured from left to right: Donna Paulk, PA, Emergency Medicine, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center; Dr. Miriam John, Vice Chairman of Emergency Medicine, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center; Dr. Eric Handler, Chairman of Emergency Medicine, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Chris Freer, EVP and Chief Clinical Officer, Acute Care Services, RWJBarnabas Health, Megan McGrane, Director of Advanced Practice Provider Education, Emergency and Hospitalist Medicine, RWJBarnabas Health; Dr. Lejla Mujic, Emergency Medicine, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center; and Gregory Politi, PA, Emergency Medicine, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.
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 over 30 years, IFPR has provided substance use disorder prevention programs, nicotine and tobacco treatment and innovative recovery support and social care services, taking a system change approach to address social determinants of health and enhance care delivery systems throughout RWJBarnabas Health and New Jersey.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive academic health system, caring for more than five million people annually. Nationally renowned for quality and safety, the system includes 14 hospitals and 9,000 affiliated physicians integrated to provide care at more than 700 patient care locations.
RWJBarnabas Health partners with its communities to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey. It provides patient-centered care in a compassionate manner and is the state’s largest safety-net provider and leader in addressing the social determinants of health. RWJBarnabas Health provides food to the hungry, housing for the homeless and economic opportunities to those most vulnerable.
RWJBarnabas Health’s commitment to enhancing access to care includes a transformative partnership with Rutgers University, including the Rutgers Cancer Institute — the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers, with more than 45,000 employees, contributing more than $7 billion to the state economy every year. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org
CONTACT:
Jaimee Cali
Jaimee.Cali@rwjbh.org
732-288-5334