New Jersey Issues First-of-its-Kind Report on COVID-19 Response
March 14, 2024
On Monday, March 11, 2024, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy
released a more than 900-page independent report on the state's
COVID-19 response, the first such report of its kind released by
any state in the nation.
As reported on governing.com, the report found that
N...
NJAMHAA Delivers Testimony to Assembly Budget Committee
On March 11, 2024, Mary Abrams, MPP, NJAMHAA's Sr. Health Policy
Analyst, testified before the Assembly Budget Committee on the
FY2025 Budget. Abrams spoke of the severe strain on the
behavioral healthcare workforce as demand, acuity and waiting
lists continue to grow. She spoke of the li...
President Biden Delivers His 2024 State of the Union Address
March 11, 2024
President Joe Biden's recent State of the Union address lasted
just over an hour and packed in highlights of both his
Administration's achievements over the past three years and many
proposals and requests to Congress to pass legislation.
Importantly, after noting a han...
Evidence Abounds on the Effectiveness of Children and Youths' Behavioral Healthcare Services
At 10 years old, Zhan was referred by an inpatient child
psychiatric unit to CFG Health Network's A Step Ahead Elmer
program.
Although the treatment team was told that Zhan would most likely
be residential bound when she finished the program, Zhan achieved
a complete turnaround.
...
NJCCN Report: Increased Nursing Education and Funding to Counteract Statewide Shortage
The New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing (NJCCN) has
published its 2024 New Jersey Nursing Data &
Analysis report, which utilizes data from 2021 through 2023.
The report highlights that multiple reports have been released
nationally over the past two or three years, which sen...
New Jersey Senate and Assembly Announce Public Hearings for the FY2025 State Budget
February 29, 2024
Following the release of Governor Murphy's proposed Fiscal Year
(FY) 2025 State Budget, the New JerseySenate Budget and
Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Budget Committee have
announced they will be conducting their respective public
hearings on the FY2025 St...
Gov. Murphy's Proposed Budget Is a Start; Much More Investment is Needed in Behavioral Health Care
February 28, 2024
The Administration's "single-highest priority" continues to be
"investing in the long-term success of our families, our
children, our seniors, and every community in New Jersey," stated
Governor Phil Murphy in his FY2025 State Budget address earlier
today. He detaile...
June Noto Announces Retirement Plans; NJAMHAA Seeks to Fill “Big Shoes” for Administrative Director
February 27, 2024
After serving at NJAMHAA for 22 years, initially as
Information Technology (IT) Project Director and then
Vice President of IT, Human Resources and Administrative
Services, June Noto has announced plans to retire ...
New Report: Health Related Social Needs: An Emerging Opportunity for Behavioral Health
February 22, 2024
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has shared a
new report, Health Related Social Needs: An Emerging
Opportunity for Behavioral Health, outlining ways to
secure and improve funding to expand services addres...
NJAMHAA’s Campaign Features Heartwarming Success of a Client who Now Works in the Healthcare Field
February 20, 2024
The New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction
Agencies (NJAMHAA) is grateful to Illias Duval for sharing his
story to demonstrate the tremendous value of mental health care
as part of NJAMHAA's campaign, Diverse Faces: All Are Worthy
of Full Investment. N...
Gov. Murphy Announces Allocation of $95M from the New Jersey Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund
February 20, 2024
On February 15, 2024, Governor Phil Murphy announced the
allocation of more than $95 million from New Jersey's Opioid
Recovery and Remediation Fund, providing funding to support
critical programs tackling the opioid crisis; connecting New
Jerseyans with tools to redu...
Study Suggests Smell Therapy Could Help People with Depression
February 15, 2024
A
study published this week in
JAMA Network Open suggests that familiar scents
could help individuals with depression recall specific memories,
something that has been
identified as a difficulty for those dealing with
depression.
Kymberly Young, Associate ...
The Life-Saving Impact of SBYSPs Reinforces the Value of All Behavioral Healthcare Services
February 13, 2024
"Not only did our Pathways School Based Youth Services Program
(SBYSP) help Lauren, but because of her connections with this
program, Lauren saved her friend." - Lauren Balkan, Deputy
Director, Wellspring Center for Prevention, speaking of Lauren, a
former SBYSP part...
NIAAA Study Identifies an Area of the Brain that May Coordinate Responses to Traumatic Situations
February 13, 2024
A new study, led by scientists at the National Institute of
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a part of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), has identified an area within the
brain's frontal cortex that may coordinate animals' responses to
potentially traumat...
HHS Finalizes New Provisions to Enhance Integrated Care, Confidentiality for Patients with SUD
February 12, 2024
On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA), finalized modifications to the Confidentiality of
Substance Use Disorder...
New Jersey to Receive Nearly $9.5 Million from an Opioid Settlement with Publicis Health, LLC
February 8, 2024
On Friday, February 2, 2024 New Jersey Attorney General Matthew
J. Platkin announced that New Jersey will receive nearly $9.5
million from a national settlement with Publicis Health, LLC
(Publicis) to resolve investigations into the global marketing
and communications...
New Jersey’s Naloxone 365 Program Distributes More than 132,000 Doses of Naloxone in its First Year
February 6, 2024
New Jersey's Naloxone 365 program, announced in 2022 and
launched in January of 2023, aims to reduce fatal
overdoses by offering naloxone, an opioid reversal drug,
to individuals aged 14 and older.
...
For Black History Month, Columbia U. Highlights the Struggle for Mental Health Equity and Justice
Feb. 5, 2024
For Black History Month, the Columbia University Department of
Psychiatry and the New York State Psychiatric Institute are
honoring Black History Month through the lens of this year's
theme, "African Americans and the Arts," paying homage to the
immense, creative influenc...
New Jersey Reentry Corp. Shares NJAMHAA-Supported Report: The Scourge of Addiction in New Jersey
February 1, 2024
The New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC), with input and
technical support from NJAMHAA, developed a detailed Annual
Report: The Scourge of Addiction in New Jersey,
which includes specific policy recommendations to improve access
to addiction treatment, and ensure th...
New Jersey Must Invest to Meet the State’s Increased Behavioral Health Care Needs
January 31, 2024
"While advances in vaccines and treatment have reduced the death
toll from COVID and people have gone back to offices, family
gatherings and public events, one thing has not changed - the
pandemic's impact on the mental health of New Jersey's youth and
adults. As indi...