News

July 25, 2023 On July 24th, the Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) and Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) hosted a kick-off of the behavioral health carve-in implementation, which will take place over th...

July 24, 2023 Judith Persichilli, who has served as the New Jersey State Health Commissioner since August 5, 2019, will retire next month, as reported by NJ Advance Media, published in the July 21st edition of The Star Ledger. Her tenure included supervising New Jersey's response to...

Yesterday, NJAMHAA staff and several partners testified before the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund Advisory Council, reinforcing the need for education and increased access to the full continuum of prevention, harm reduction and treatment services, as well as a statewide health infor...

Nationwide, there is an estimated shortage of nearly 4.5 million behavioral health providers to meet the level of need, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Behavioral Health Workforce Report, 2020. This dearth in the behavioral health wo...

Judith Persichilli, who has served as the New Jersey State Health Commissioner since August 5, 2019, will retire next month, as reported by NJ Advance Media, published in today's edition of The Star Ledger. Her tenure included supervising New Jersey's response to the COVID-19 pandemic...

July 20, 2023 On Monday, July 17, 2023, Governor Phil Murphy signed S3864 into law, establishing the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority, as well as appropriating money to open a state Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center in Trenton. The Authority w...

July 18, 2023 On Thursday, July 13, 2023, Governor Phil Murphy signed A3334 into law, which requires Medicaid reimbursement for covered behavioral health services provided by local education agencies to students who are eligible Medicaid beneficiaries. Governor Murphy was quoted ...

July 13, 2023 On July 7, 2023, Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra renewed the determination that an opioid public health emergency (PHE) exists nationwide. The opioid PHE was first declared on October 26, 2017 by former HHS ...

Summary of FY2024 Budget Bill Click here to read NJAMHAA's summary of the Legislature's FY2024 budget bill. As noted in the document, the bill will be voted on today and sent to the Governor to sign by midnight. NJAMHAA will provide an update after the Governor signs the bi...

June 29, 2023 A new annual budget is constitutionally due in New Jersey by July 1st. In the case that a budget bill is not passed before then, the state government is required to shut down until a spending plan in enacted. The New ...

June 28, 2023 The New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies' (NJAMHAA's) advocacy resulted in significant funding for the behavioral healthcare workforce and increases for some of the services these essential workers provide in Governor Phil Murphy's proposed budg...

June 28, 2023 The New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) has shared an update on its efforts to initiate Medicaid renewals following the expiration of special Medicaid rules that were put in place during the COVID-19 p...

June 19, 2023 On June 13, 2023, during an event at Kean University, Governor Phil Murphy and other state officials announced a $5 million investment to expand access to mental health services in Union County for children and teens....

June 15, 2023 The Human Services Equity Coalition, led by Easterseals New Jersey and of which NJAMHAA is a member, was created this year to highlight problems faced by organizations paid by New Jersey's fee-for-service (FFS) model. The coalition's support for A508/S2668, legisl...

June 13, 2023 Leaders from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have published a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlighting the urgent need to address current gaps in the research, development, and i...

June 8, 2023 On June 7, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), published the National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification, applicable for substance use, mental health, and...

June 6, 2023 On Saturday, June 3, 2023, President Biden signed H.R.3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, into law, raising the debt ceiling until 2025, avoiding national default until at least after the next presidential election, and adjusting the federal budget. The legi...

June 5, 2023 On May 30, 2023, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York approved a plan through which Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, may settle thousands of claims linked to the opioid epidemic. ...

June 1, 2023 On May 30, 2023, H.R.2412, the Helping Kids Cope Act, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is sponsored by United States Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The legislation would establish grant programs ...

May 31, 2023 The New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) has added more resources to its Stay Covered NJ toolkit, intended to help individuals and organizations assist NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) beneficiaries in staying enrolled in the program through the Medicaid redetermination ...