NJAMHAA-70th-anniversary-publication

31 Former NJAMHAA Board Vice Chair Greg Speed stated, “I admire NJAMHAA’s strength. Members were re- sponsible at some level for reorganizing the system of mental healthcare delivery. It was spearheaded with NJAMHAA’s support,” he said, referring to NJAMHAA’s extensive representation and impact on the Gover- nor’s Task Force on Mental Health in the early 2000s as a compelling example. NJAMHAA also established and maintains relation- ships with individuals who previously worked at the state and created a lasting, positive impression. For example, Dennis Lafer remembers learning about NJAMHAA when he served as Deputy Director of what was then called the Division of Mental Health and Hospitals in the mid-1970s. “Great things have oc- curred between the Division and NJAMHAA. We had a very similar vision: to treat people humanely in the community and to use hospitals as a last resort and only when necessary,” said Lafer, who later served as a consultant and Board member for the Mental Health Association in New Jersey, a sister stakeholder group with which NJAMHAA collaborates on numerous ad- vocacy issues. In the 1970s, New Jersey’s behavioral healthcare sys- tem consisted of inpatient, outpatient, consultation and education, emergency, and partial hospitalization services. There was not a focus on drug or alcohol abuse or housing, according to Lafer. “Over time, we realized that more things, both clinical and nonclini- cal, were needed to improve quality of life. The Divi- sion tried to fund programs and organize systems of care. NJAMHAA and agencies took the lead in design- ing community services,” he recalled. Current NJAMHAA Board member Theresa Wilson, MSW, LCSW, President and CEO of South Jersey Behavioral Health Resources and Executive Vice President of Inperium NJ, remembers first meeting Dr. Wentz when she was “My agenda at DHS couldn’t be done without the leadership of community providers and NJAMHAA. Having NJAMHAA there gave me a good place to dialogue on issues, gain good ideas and get things moving.” – Bill Waldman, Former DHS Commissioner Governor Codey with mental health stakeholders at the State House in Trenton, 2005.