NJAMHAA-70th-anniversary-publication

39 “The HMO Council is examining the payment and de- livery system in New Jersey and what role HMOs take in ensuring access to integrated care. Going forward, innovative models will evolve as a result of the 1115 waiver renewal for 2022, and the HMO Council will continue discussions and identify advocacy needs for us all to work together for the benefit of service recipi- ents,” Dr. Wentz said. NJAMHAA created the Hospital Community Integra- tion Council (HCIC) in 2015 when it recognized the need to promote collaboration among providers in order to reduce hospitalizations and healthcare costs and achieve more positive health outcomes. With the state’s Quality Improvement Program, the next version of the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, set to start in July 2021, the HCIC is advocating for all providers to receive funding as an incentive to work together. The original DSRIP program only provided funding for the hos- pitals and, as a result, these important partnerships were not established as they needed to be. “I’m hoping that even on a demonstration or pilot basis that a hospital can partner with a community- based provider in an integrated way and provide services that are coordinated and collaborative,” said Jim McCreath, PhD, LCSW, a former NJAMHAA Board member and currently Co-Chair of the HCIC and Vice President, Psychiatry, Behavioral Health and Long-Term Care, Trinitas Regional Medical Center. “NJAMHAA is the closest as an advocate to the needs of hospital-based mental health services because they have a great understanding of what takes place in the community and the needs of consumers,” he added. In 2020, in response to members’ requests, NJAMHAA reactivated the Integrated Case Management Services (ICMS) and Programs for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) Practice Groups and created the Evidence Based Practices (EBP) Practice Group. “Participants in the practice groups and councils are not just heads of organizations, but also the frontline heroes. They convey the needs of the workforce and of those they serve. We work hard to engage everyone because their observations, experiences, insights and recommendations are invaluable,” Dr. Wentz said. “To benefit from all NJAMHAA has to offer, we have to have our entire agencies involved. I need the eyes and ears of all my staff. NJAMHAA is one of the high grounds where we can get perspective and vision of what’s out there,” said Jacques Hryshko, current NJAMHAA Board Vice Chair. Many of his staff par- ticipate on practice groups and councils, as well as membership meetings. In fact, attending a membership meeting is the ear- liest memory of NJAMHAA that Karen Acker, Admin- istrative Director at West Bergen Mental Healthcare, has. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Wow! There is such a wealth of information being presented among agencies. This is the place to be!’ It was so encourag- ing to see that for myself and such an eye opener as I was new to the behavioral health field,” said Acker, who has been chairing the IT Project’s Compliance and Performance Improvement Committee for several years. “NJAMHAA brings all the players together in an unusually creative way.” – Linda Gochfeld, Former NJAMHAA Board Member “NJAMHAA is the closest as an advocate to the needs of hospital-based mental health services.” Jim McCreath, Former NJAMHAA Board Member