NAMI NEW JERSEY
ADVOCACY NETWORK
ALERT
March 16, 2001
Advocacy needed to assure Governor DiFrancesco's
commitment to The Children's System of Care
Last year Governor Whitman
introduced The Children's System of Care initiative which is meant to
dramatically improve
the way in which New Jersey provides services to children with "emotional
and behavioral problems" and their families. The Children's System of Care Initiative commits to a $113 million
increase in spending for treatment over four years - from $167 million to $280
million. During the first year of
the Initiative, an additional $39 million will be spent to increase community
based treatment for troubled children and to redesign the system for funding
and coordinating children's services. Additional information on the
Children's System of care is available at http://www.njkidsoc.org/main-fs.htm.
Now that Governor Whitman
and Human Services Commissioner Guhl have left office advocacy is needed
to ensure Governor DiFrancesco's commitment to The Children's System of Care. At the current
time he has placed the initiative on hold pending a review.
ACTION NEEDED:
Advocates for children's
mental health services are needed to write to Governor DiFrancesco and to urge
his support for the Children's System of Care. A sample letter follows:
The Honorable Donald
DiFrancesco
Governor of New Jersey
State House
P.o. Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625-001
Dear Governor DiFrancesco,
I am writing to urge your
support for the full implementation of the Children's System of Care Initiative
as the parent of a child with a mental illness. As the parent of a child
with a mental illness I have experienced the failings of our current system
first hand.
[ you may want to include
your personal experience here].
Parents of children with a
mental illness have advocated for years for a cohesive, integrated system of
care for children with special emotional needs. Recent headlines and the
Surgeon General's report on children's mental health attest to the crucial need
for enhanced services.
The Children's system of care
promised a dramatic improvement in how we care for our children. With the
current State revenues, now is not the time to back away from our commitment.
Thank you for your support.
Yours truly,
Name Address
Phone Number
Please distribute this Alert
to other advocates for improved mental health services in New Jersey. If
you would like to receive NAMI NEW JERSEY Advocacy Alerts by email, contact
Phil Lubitz, the Advocacy Network Coordinator at mailto:aminj@sprynet.com
or by phone (732) 940-0991.
NAMI NEW JERSEY: http://naminj.nami.org/naminj/