ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. FREEHOLDERS PUSH AHEAD WITH AUCTION OF BUTTONWOOD HOSPITAL
2. PROJECT PROVIDES HOME FOR THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
3. PSYCHIATRISTS ADDRESSING SHORTAGES BY USING REMOTE EVALUATIONS
4. GOV. CHRISTIE'S DRUG TREATMENT PLAN GOOD FOR JAILED PEOPLE, N.J.
5. PSYCHIATRISTS ADDRESSING SHORTAGES BY USING REMOTE EVALUATIONS
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FREEHOLDERS PUSH AHEAD WITH AUCTION OF BUTTONWOOD HOSPITAL
The Burlington County Board of Freeholders will hear from the public in the coming weeks about Buttonwood Hospital, but the board is not waiting for those meetings before putting the county-owned nursing home and psychiatric facility in Pemberton Township on the auction block. Buttonwood has operated at a loss for at least a decade, as Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements for patient care have continued to decline, and the state’s share of costs has continued to fluctuate, officials said. But officials reiterated Wednesday night that they wanted the public’s input on the possible sale of the county asset, which always has operated at or near capacity and currently has an occupancy rate of about 98 percent, officials said.
Read more:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times_news/freeholders-push-ahead-with-auction-of-buttonwood-hospital/article_582763fa-9973-5f46-a1c6-192bb204d4f9.html
Attend a hearing:
http://www.co.burlington.nj.us/Upload/Buttonwood/Images/pr-buttonwood-hrg-location-1-30-12.pdf
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PROJECT PROVIDES HOME FOR THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
Vantage Health Systems is about to open what advocates for the disabled say is the first newly constructed housing in Bergen County designed specifically to serve people with mental illness.
The 16-unit development in Closter will provide permanent homes for people whom mental-health clinicians determine have demonstrated an ability to live on their own.
While the project is designed for people capable of living independently, Sidrow added that clinical staff will be on site during the day. There will also be a superintendent living in a one-bedroom apartment, but that person will be responsible for attending to issues with the building, not providing mental-health care.
Read more in The Record
http://www.northjersey.com/news/137872018_Mentally_ill_find_their_place_in_Closter.html
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GOV. CHRISTIE'S DRUG TREATMENT PLAN GOOD FOR JAILED PEOPLE, N.J.
In his State of the State address, Gov. Chris Christie proposed a transformation of New Jersey’s drug policy so that nonviolent offenders with substance-use disorders would be treated instead of incarcerated. Christie is taking advantage of the confluence of public sentiment, fiscal imperative, compassion and good policy that has the potential to change lives and definitively solve the state’s fiscal crisis.
It is critical that the state sufficiently fund community-based nonprofits that understand the challenges their clients face and empower them to adopt healthy lifestyles and pursue lifelong goals.
Read NJAMAA CEO Debra Wentz’s Star Ledger Op Ed
http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2012/01/gov_chris_christies_drug_treat.html
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PSYCHIATRISTS ADDRESSING SHORTAGES BY USING REMOTE EVALUATIONS
In 2010 the demand for psychiatrists was climbing faster than for any other medical specialty in part because of increasing demand and experienced doctors retiring. In the same time period, the demand for child and adolescent psychiatrists increased 100 percent. Some people must wait up to 10 hours before a psychiatrist is available for an in-person evaluation.
Some have called telepsychiatry, which uses encrypted connections, a game-changer in the middle of the psychiatry crisis.
See the Gannett article:
http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20120124/LIFESTYLE/201240310
