ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. NJ MAY OWE FEDS $35 MILLION FOR IMPROPER MENTAL HEALTH BILLING
2. CHRISTIE ANNOUNCES CRIMINAL OFFENDERS RE-ENTRY INITIATIVE
3. FINDING PURPOSE AFTER LIVING WITH DELUSION
4. N.J. CARE FACILITY ADMITS TO NEGLECT OF DISABLED RESIDENTS
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NJ MAY OWE FEDS $35 MILLION FOR IMPROPER MENTAL HEALTH BILLING
New Jersey may have improperly billed Medicaid as much as $35 million since 2005 for mental health services, raising the possibility that the state and various agencies will have to repay the federal government, according to state and federal documents. An audit made public Nov. 4 by the inspector general of the federal Department of Health and Human Services have questioned $5 million the state billed Medicaid for administrative expenses to reimburse private agencies that provide counseling and other services.
See the Star Ledger report:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/nj_might_owe_federal_governmen.html
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CHRISTIE ANNOUNCES CRIMINAL OFFENDERS RE-ENTRY INITIATIVE
Gov. Chris Christie Tuesday outlined an initiative to help offenders get the help they need to successfully re-enter society, break the cycle of criminality and lead productive lives. The initiative includes the expansion of the state’s Drug Court Program, the appointment of a Governor’s Office re-entry coordinator, the creation of a Governor’s Task Force on Recidivism Reduction.
Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak (D-Union) said of the initiative, “The state should also take a page from Union County, which has used the drug court model to successfully implement a mental health court.
Read more:
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/gov-christie-announces-initiative-to-help-criminal-offenders-re-enter-nj-society
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FINDING PURPOSE AFTER LIVING WITH DELUSION
Doctors generally consider the delusional beliefs of schizophrenia to be just that — delusional — and any attempt to indulge them to be an exercise in reckless collusion that could make matters worse. There is no point, they say, in trying to explain the psychological significance of someone’s belief that the C.I.A. is spying through the TV; it has no basis, other than psychosis.
Yet people who have had such experiences often disagree, arguing that delusions have their origin not solely in the illness, but also in fears, longings and psychological wounds that, once understood, can help people sustain recovery after they receive treatment. In doing so, they are contributing to a deeper understanding of mental illness —and setting an example that can help others recover.
Go to the New York Times Story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/health/man-uses-his-schizophrenia-to-gather-clues-for-daily-living.html?pagewanted=all
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N.J. CARE FACILITY ADMITS TO NEGLECT OF DISABLED RESIDENTS
The owner of a state-licensed home for disabled adults in Bloomsbury has pleaded guilty to charges of neglect and theft after authorities removed three residents under her care, including two who later died. From 2002 to 2008, the owner and a caseworker from the state Department of Human Services were responsible for the care of the three women who court records show suffered from serious neglect. The operator admitted in state Superior Court in Hunterdon County on Monday to three counts of neglect of a disabled person and two counts of theft for stealing from two of the residents. It was the first time in recent history that a department caseworker was held criminally liable for failing to provide proper care.
See the full news report:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/owner_of_nj_care_facility_admi.html
