New Life Execs Discuss Addiction With the Evesham Police

New Life Medical Addiction Services executives Joel Albano and Todd Fedoruk spent a morning recently at the Marlton Evesham Police Department discussing the latest in substance abuse and addiction treatment with the newest recruits to the force.

The invitation to speak came from Lieutenant Jason Siitonen, who is the Professional Standards Bureau Commander for the department. Jason runs the initial training for the new recruits and asked Joel and Todd to talk about the state-of-the-art medical addiction treatment program that New Life offers and to also discuss how police should approach substance abuse in modern law enforcement.

Under the supervision of Lieutenant Siitonen, a 22-year veteran on the force, the Office of Professional Standards maintains direct oversight of the LEAD program, Police Explorers and Training Unit of the Evesham Police Department which is responsible for in-service training, roll call training and its field training program.  Officers in the agency participate in continuing education programs and instruction on a daily basis as part of their career advancement and service to the community.

Lieutenant Siitonen explained the foundational training and orientation that new recruits receive once they graduate from the academy and come to the department for their first assignments. The 93 officer Evesham Police Department typically accepts 4 to 5 new officers each year who receive 80 hours of training under Jason’s supervision. Once this training is complete, new officers spend 8 weeks on duty with a seasoned officer and two weeks on their own before they are fully on the force.

As part of their classroom training, Lieutenant Siitonen focuses on the biases that officers bring to their jobs and how they can recognize them. Dealing with people who are addicted or struggling with substance abuse is one of these areas where officers are encouraged to consider a broader picture.

Joel Albano, New Life’s Chief Administration Officer and Co-Founder presented a detailed overview of the current state of addiction treatment and how New Life is approaching it. Joel described the all too common path that leads people to abuse drugs like opioids.  “It can start with an injury like a broken ankle or surgery where someone is legitimately prescribed pain killers like Percocets. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to become dependent on these powerful drugs and, before you know it, the person is addicted”.  While this is through no fault on their part, people who become dependent on pain killers continue to seek them long after their doctors end the prescriptions.

If they can’t get access to prescription drugs, these people often turn to illegal opioids to satisfy their addictions. “Unfortunately, people often turn to very dangerous substances like Fentanyl to satisfy their cravings. And it doesn’t stop there. In their search for opioids, many people are encountering the extremely dangerous drug Carfentanil, which can be a death sentence.” Joel went on to warn the officers that an amount of Carfentanil the size of a grain of sand can be dangerous and that they needed extreme caution in their handling of the substance.

In order to explain the full spectrum of addiction, Joel explained to the recruits that all addiction has the same roots. “It all the same process” said Joel. ” Regardless as to whether someone is suffering from addiction to alcohol, opioids, sex, food or whatever it may be, these addictive tendencies all have the same basis.”

In his discussion, former Philadelphia Flyers player Todd Fedoruk spent time asking the new recruits to be cognizant of their own backgrounds when dealing with policing. ” You are going to encounter things in your job that are going to bring back some of the traumas in your life and it is critical that you reach out for support when you are feeling the strain. Don’t keep it to yourself!”

Todd likened the fraternity of police to a sports locker room and encouraged the recruits to lean on each other and their higher ups as they grow in their careers. “In the NHL I was known as a tough guy but I would never dare put myself in the same category as you new police officers. You will put your lives on the line every day and you have one of the most difficult jobs in America. You need to arm yourself with information and new perspectives to help you navigate what is a challenging career.”

Todd also asked the group to look at addicts as people who are suffering and who need help. “As first responders, the police are often the first people that an addict encounters when they are having the worst day of their lives. If you can extend a helping hand you could change that person’s life for the better.”

New Life’s treatment center is near the Evesham Police Department and both Joel and Todd encouraged the young officers to visit the facility at any time and to reach out with questions and to get support. The New Life Team will also be participating with the department in this summer’s National Night Out on August 3rd.

To contact New Life Medical Addiction Services, call us at: 856-942-3700 or send us a Text Message.