NJAMHAA 75th Anniversary

18 75 th Anniversary Partnering to Prevent Incarceration and Maximize Reentry Success Of the many partnerships NJAMHAA establishes, the collaborations with New Jersey Reentry Corporation and member behavioral healthcare organizations that also provide reentry, as well as jail diversion, programs are particularly notable. In 2022 and 2023, with funding from a Behavioral Health plus Economics Network (BHECON) grant, NJAMHAA brought together a variety of providers to increase awareness and understanding of the array of services available across the state and to develop recommendations on how to improve and expand them. Partners in this initiative were New Jersey’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), reentry service providers and providers with Justice Involved Services contracts with the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services and other diversion programs. These proposals were presented to all state legislators, the Governor’s and Attorney General’s offices, and county prosecutors, and resulted in Governor Phil Murphy signing S524 into law in December 2023, establishing a pilot mental health diversion program in three judicial vicinages. The NJAMHAA-initiated bill to establish a Fee-for-Service Oversight Board was signed into law. NJAMHAA participated on this board, which provided input that contributed to many subsequent policy changes in the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS), providing waivers, flexibility and rate increases to various programs. Advocacy also resulted in a significant increase in fee- for-service rates for medication monitoring. Governor Chris Christie signed several bills into law for increasing access to opioid use treatment for which NJAMHAA persistently advocated. NJAMHAA also convinced DMHAS, which was relocated to the Department of Health (DOH) that year, to extend the availability of cost-based contracting for Community Support Services (CSS) for one additional year before FY2018 NJAMHAA’s strong advocacy helped ensure that a bill that would allow individuals receiving Medication Assisted Treatment to enroll in Drug Court was signed into law as a statewide program, not a small demonstration project. NJAMHAA also persuaded DCF to eliminate most of the Social Service Language Amendments that restricted salaries, tuition reimbursement, training, and travel expenses for agency-sponsored events; and partially rescind other travel expenses. NJAMHAA’s advocacy regarding the Social Services Language Amendments achieved further success with DHS’ announcement that they would be eliminated for all services, including those being transitioned from contracts to fee-for- service reimbursement and those remaining under contracts, effective July 1, 2016. NJAMHAA was also successful in having language amended in S601, a bill to make individuals with drug convictions eligible for General Assistance benefits. The amended language makes it clear that those who have been unable to access treatment are also eligible. FY2016 A consumer group – the New Jersey Mental Patients Rights – was established to ensure dignity for current and former mental health patients. 1975 Women for Sobriety was founded. Nearly 75 percent of mental health care was provided in the community vs. institutions (a complete turnaround from 1955). FY2017