NJAMHA

NJAMHA Launches Fiscal Year Educational Campaign

NJAMHA has launched its educational campaign for the Fiscal Year 2011 budget season. NJAMHA's ongoing efforts to educate policy makers and legislators about the needs of the hundred of thousands of children and adults with mental illnesses and addiction disorders will focus on this year's educational literature titled Walking a Tightrope: Maintaining a Behavioral Health Balance.

Click here to download a .pdf version of Walking a Tightrope.

We urge all members to use this compelling piece, which illustrates the many challenges facing consumers and providers as the strive to overcome mental illness and addiction disorders, in their own advocacy and educational efforts. Every member's involvement is critical to maximize the impact of NJAMHA's advocacy efforts and, therefore, to enhance access to high quality behavioral healthcare services.

Read More

Parity Regulations Must Fully Align with Intent of Legislation

The New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, Inc. (NJAMHA) welcomed the long awaited release of regulations that implement the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA), which was designed to ensure equal insurance coverage for mental health and addictions treatment as for medical and surgical care. NJAMHA urges the federal government to expeditiously review and adopt the regulations to ensure that insurance companies are in compliance with the law. The proposed regulations establish a July 1, 2010 deadline.

“However, before the regulations are adopted, two major issues must be addressed to truly ensure access to necessary treatment for mental illnesses and addictions,” said Debra L. Wentz, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, NJAMHA. “These treatments have been proven effective for enabling individuals to not only manage their illnesses, but also achieve so much more in their lives. A very substantial benefit is that individual states and the nation would save billions of dollars by avoiding costly emergency room visits, hospitalizations, incarceration and homelessness – all which commonly occur when substance abuse and mental health disorders are not treated.”

Read More

Depressed Americans Are Not Seeking Treatment

NJ1015.COM
January 25, 2010
By Racquel Williams

It's a dangerous reality. A new study suggests that half of all depressed Americans are not getting treated for it.

When sadness interferes with everyday life, that's when depression sets in. Left untreated depression at worse can lead to suicide. Dr. Debra Wentz, CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, says one big reason for people not getting tretment has to do with stigma and discrimination.

"Other reasons though has to do with lack of access o healthcare, and for undocumented people, it has to do with fear of being caught." says Wentz.

Read More

NJAMHA Member's Program Prepares and Encourages Clients to Vote

Pequannock - The voting education project that NewBridge Services, Inc. conducted for individuals in their programs, which was featured in yesterday's edition of NJAMHA Newswire, gained additional media coverage in the Star-Ledger.

In addition to describing the program, the article mentioned that New Jersey's Constitution stated, “no idiot or insane person shall enjoy the right of suffrage” until it was fortunately changed in 2007. Now, The Constitution "states that only people who have been determined by a court to be too incompetent to vote cannot take part in elections," the Star-Ledger reported.

Read More