Upper Darby becomes 'safe haven' for addicts

Touting the program as a first in the state, Upper Darby Township announced Wednesday that its police headquarters would become a "safe haven" and a treatment-referral source for people battling drug addiction.

Drug users who come to the police station voluntarily will be received with "no questions, no concerns," said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood, and will be linked with a drug-treatment provider for help.

The uninsured won't be turned away, officials said. With state money, Delaware County will provide funds.

The program - launched as a partnership among Upper Darby police, the township mayor's office, and Gaudenzia, a nonprofit addiction treatment center - is working to speed up the time it takes to get treatment for drug users who ask for help.

"Anyone who has ever tried to help somebody probably knows it's the most bureaucratic process you could ever imagine," said Mayor Thomas Micozzie.

While new to the region, the Upper Darby initiative is similar to other police-assisted recovery programs that have emerged around the country. Favoring rehabilitation rather than prosecution may help reduce the drug epidemic across the county, Chitwood said Wednesday.

Last year, 200 overdoses on illegal substances were recorded in the township of 82,000, one of the state's largest municipalities. Of those, 123 were related to heroin, 20 of which resulted in deaths.

Effective Wednesday, anyone who arrives at police headquarters seeking help will immediately be paired with a social worker or counselor from Gaudenzia. That counselor will then help the person navigate the treatment process, including finding a rehabilitation center and working with insurers.

Treatment for uninsured residents will be provided by the county, coming out of its Office of Behavioral Health. In 2013-14, the most recent period for which figures were available, the Delaware County office operated its drug and alcohol treatment programs with a budget of $6.5 million, according to a spokesman from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

The goal is to treat people early in their addiction, said Michael Harle, president and CEO of Gaudenzia.

"If we wait until after they go into a penitentiary or after they have overdosed four or five times, it's not as easy," Harle said.

But there are restrictions. No person who seeks help at police headquarters can have an open court case, nor can he or she be on probation or parole. The program is only open to Upper Darby residents, and is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Within hours of launching, Chitwood said, his department received a call for help.

Last month, Chitwood announced the arrest of an Upper Darby man who overdosed and passed out on a SEPTA bus. The incident - caught on camera and watched virally across the region - prompted a new department policy of arresting anyone found in possession of illegal substances.

On Wednesday, Chitwood said that arrest-strategy still stands. "If you're in possession of drugs," Chitwood said, "you're going to be locked up." That includes residents who come to police headquarters seeking help but are in possession of illegal substances.

But for those who come to headquarters voluntarily with no drugs on them, he said, "we're here to help."

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