Anchor of Hope at Pillar College

This week’s guest authors are Professor Gerry Cleave and Dr. Maxine Bradshaw of Pillar Collage. They share information about the Anchor of Hope at Pillar College, a venture of Pillar College and the Anchor of Hope Alliance.

The goal of Anchor of Hope is to assist people with substance use disorders and to stem the use of drugs, especially opioids, in Paterson, New Jersey. The vision of Prof. Cleaves & Dr. Bradshaw is that the Anchor of Hope Alliance model will be transferable to other NJ colleges and universities.

All the best, 
Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ

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By Professor Gerry Cleaves and Dr. Maxine Bradshaw, Pillar College

Opioid addiction has become a New Jersey and national crisis in the 21st Century.  Young athletes are prescribed OxyContin for a knee injury or Percocet for the removal of wisdom teeth as non-addictive painkillers.   Once the prescription runs out, they discover a $10 bag of heroin is cheaper than paying $20 per pill for the prescription medicine.  The heroin, which comes into our country illegally, is often laced on the street with synthetic fentanyl (more powerful and cheaper than heroin) for an even deadlier high.  According to DEA officials, much of what is now sold by low level street dealers is of unknown origin and ingredients. By age 30, our student athlete is homeless and living on the streets, dead, in jail, or for those lucky enough, in a qualified recovery program.

Drug overdose deaths are increasing in New Jersey. There were 1,600 overdose deaths recorded in 2015 and over 3,000 deaths in 2018-2020, an average of more than eight deaths per day.  The complex multi-faceted problem has only gotten worse under Covid-19, with drug overdose deaths up 30% nationwide in 2020.

Drug addiction affects not only the individual but also families and communities.  While some people can function effectively as an alcoholic or casual drug user, this is not the case with opioid/heroin abuse where addicts are consumed by their habit and often resort to criminal behavior and violence.  The creation of meaningful employment is key, for the lack of jobs, and the dignity that comes from a job, leads to homelessness, broken families, poverty, crime, vacant houses and low performing schools.  Urban areas and minority communities are hit the hardest.

Addressing these intractable problems in a meaningful way are lofty goals.  While our vision for the Anchor of Hope @ Pillar College is to provide a model to address the perfect storm of mental health homelessness and addiction, our mission is to save one person, one family, one community from a life of addiction.

The “Anchor of Hope @ Pillar College LLC” (AoH@PC), a joint venture of Pillar College and the Anchor of Hope Alliance, is a faith-based, inter-professional, multidisciplinary exchange of ideas and best practices in counseling, prevention and recovery.  It is established under the non-profit Pillar College Community Economic Development Corporation (a registered 501(c)3 Non-Profit umbrella organization). Our initial focus is to stem the use of drugs, especially opioids, in Paterson, New Jersey, but envision the Anchor of Hope Alliance model to be transferable to other NJ colleges and universities.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul” Hebrews 6:19

Notice: This article reflects the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ). This information should not be construed as legal advice from the author or PDFNJ. Please consult your own attorney before making any legal decisions

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