Blog
NJAMHAA Has Impact
and Depends on Members for Insights
“NJAMHAA’s role and
impact in the field of mental health has been tremendous and with the landscape
becoming more complex, it can only be more important moving into the future,”
said Anthony DiFabio, PsyD, Chief Executive Officer of Robins’ Nest and
long-time NJAMHAA member.
Changes are always happening – that’s the increasingly
complex landscape Dr. DiFabio refers to and it presents many challenges for
providers of not only mental health care, but also substance use and
developmental disabilities services.
Most notably and most concerning,
nowadays, are the transition to fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement for providers
of mental health care and substance use treatment for children and adults. On
the federal level, the possible repeal and inadequate replacement of the
Affordable Care Act and proposed significant funding cuts to Medicaid.
To address these major issues and many others that affect
our members’ abilities to provide services to everyone in need, NJAMHAA
regularly meets and corresponds with State Legislators and key policymakers
(e.g., Departments of Human Services and Children & Families) and our
Congressional delegates. We demonstrate the value of our members’ life-saving
and life-enhancing services and reinforce the critical need to ensure access to
these services. We communicate this message even farther through traditional
and social media. We undertake these initiatives as part of our constant
pursuit of our mission:
To promote the value
of its members as the highest quality behavioral healthcare providers for the
residents of New Jersey through advocacy and professional development.
For professional development, we offer numerous training
opportunities throughout the year.
Our advocacy has had a significant impact and we are the
recognized leader in advocacy and achievement for New Jersey’s community mental
health, substance use and developmental disabilities system. Highlights of our
advocacy achievements include:
▪
Significant input into the FFS oversight
legislation, its passage and signing into law
▪
Increase of several FFS reimbursement rates for
mental health, substance use and Community Support Services (CSS), most notably
the doubling of medication monitoring rates▪ Option for transition dates for mental healthcare and CSS providers
▪ Substantial input that was used in the development of proposed legislation for safety net funding for mental health agencies transitioning to FFS on July 1, 2017, and expansion of screening centers and Early Intervention Support Services
▪ Preservation of funding for mental health and substance use services, including many children's behavioral health services, in the FY 2017 State Budget: All of the new funding proposed by the Governor was maintained.
▪ For the FY 2018 State Budget, Gov. Christie cited funding increases for mental health, addiction and developmental disabilities services, and we continue to advocate to help ensure State Legislators vote in favor of this funding.
On the federal level, our advocacy contributed to the
passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the 21st
Century Cures Act, which includes a $1 billion, two-year appropriation (almost
$12 million to New Jersey for two years) to fight the opioid crisis.
The effectiveness of our advocacy is a result, in large
part, to our members’ active involvement. They share their perceptions of and
experiences with changes in funding, regulations and laws, as well as their
clients’ success stories. We incorporate this invaluable information into our
advocacy, our communication with traditional media representatives and on
social media.
Please click here
to learn more about how NJAMHAA membership can reinforce your organization and
career, and how your involvement can help strengthen New Jersey’s mental
health, substance use and developmental disabilities system.
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