ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. N.J. ALERTS MEDICAID RECIPIENTS OF REQUIREMENT TO ENROLL IN HMO
2. SPEAKER APPOINTS MEMBERS TO PANEL TO STUDY STATE PSYCH HOSPITALS
3. STATE GRANTS FOR VOCATIONAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES HELP DISABLED
4. PRESERVATION GROUP HEARS GREYSTONE OPTIONS
5. RIBBONS ON TREES TO URGE PEOPLE TO "TALK ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS"
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N.J. ALERTS MEDICAID RECIPIENTS OF REQUIREMENT TO ENROLL IN HMO
Not content to wait for the state budget to pass in late June, the Department of Human Services is alerting about 200,000 Medicaid recipients — many with developmental or mental disabilities — that they will be required to enroll in an HMO. Gov. Chris Christie’s administration anticipates the move will save about $41 million over the budget year that begins July 1. But at least one advocacy group is worried people with complicated medical histories will be forced to find new doctors or new drugs, disrupting their care.
Read Susan Livio’s report:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/department_of_human_services_a.html
Read the Dept. of Human Services Frequently Asked Questions:
http://www.naminj.org/advocacy/enews/MedicaidClientFAQsApril252011.pdf
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SPEAKER APPOINTS MEMBERS TO PANEL TO STUDY STATE PSYCH HOSPITALS
Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic) has announced the appointment of Assembly members Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Cleopatra Tucker and Lou Greenwald to the Legislative Review Panel on State Psychiatric Hospitals and Developmental Centers, a bipartisan body that was recently created by legislation to study issues relating to the care and costs of providing services to clients in these facilities.
“This is an issue of utmost importance that impacts some of our most vulnerable residents. Any decisions as to the future of these facilities should not be made lightly.” said Oliver.
Read more:
http://www.politickernj.com/46978/speaker-oliver-appoints-members-new-panel-study-closure-state-psych-hospitals-developmental-ce
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STATE GRANTS FOR VOCATIONAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES HELP DISABLED
Increasingly, small independent businesses are training people with physical and mental disabilities to become a part of the workforce, taking over roles traditionally held by large nonprofits and social services agencies. Giving the disabled well-paying and personally rewarding works represents a stark turnaround from the 1950s and earlier when the emotionally and developmentally disabled were often warehoused and hidden away from the public.
From New Jersey to California, the disabled are emerging from the stockrooms and the more menial, hidden jobs.
Read more:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/disabled_adults_find_meaningfu.html
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PRESERVATION GROUP HEARS GREYSTONE OPTIONS
The name Greystone can conjure many images: A state psychiatric institution both benevolent and ominous, a collection of buildings and grounds that was a city unto itself throughout the 20th century and a one-time home for such artists as Woody Guthrie and Allan Ginsberg. The psychiatric hospital was the subject of concern Thursday night for Preserve Greystone, a small, but dedicated group of local residents determined to find a way to make the best use of existing buildings and grounds, which are in the hands of both the state and Morris County.
See the full article:
http://morris.patch.com/articles/preservation-group-hears-options-to-convert-greystone-rather-than-paving-it-over
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RIBBONS ON TREES TO URGE PEOPLE TO "TALK ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS"
Flemington will be one of area eight communities that will have its trees adorned with red ribbons on Sunday that will proclaim, “Talk about mental illness.” The bows will be among 740 that will be placed by the annual Ribbon Awareness Campaign, a project sponsored by the Joao Jose “John” Santos Charitable Organization. Santos said the solution is to raise awareness “on a community level, one by one, one neighborhood at a time.” That’s the purpose of Sunday’s event, which will also take place at several towns in Somerset County.
Read the story:
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2011/04/ribbon_on_flemington_trees_wil.html
