ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. NEW JERSEY GETS "C" FOR MENTAL HEALTH CARE
2. CORZINE BUDGET REDUCES STATE GOVERNMENT, PRESERVES PRIORITIES
3. SENATE APPROVES CODEY MENTAL HEALTH BILL
4. JOHN NASH, A BEAUTIFUL CHALLENGE
5. PLAN TO BUY 50 ACRES AT GREYSTONE HITS SNAG
6. IN OUR OWN VOICE GETS MESSAGE OUT
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NEW JERSEY GETS "C" FOR MENTAL HEALTH CARE
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) issued a
national report card today that gives New Jersey a C grade
for its public mental health care system. The report is
a follow-up to a NAMI report published three years ago to
measure the progress of states in achieving the goals of
a presidential commission that called for transformation
of the mental health care system-which too often is fragmented,
outmoded and inadequate.
In the previous report, New Jersey received a grade of
C. This year it is one of 23 states that saw no change.
The national average is D, remaining stagnant from three
years ago. Six states received Bs. Six received Fs. No state
got an A.
See www.nami.org/grades2009
for the full report.
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CORZINE BUDGET REDUCES STATE GOVERNMENT, PRESERVES PRIORITIES
Governor Jon S. Corzine delivered a $29.8 billion budget
to the Legislature today and said that even in these dire
financial times his spending plan is based on the administration's
core values of nurturing children, honoring seniors and
protecting those who have been hit hardest by the national
economic crisis. The FY2010 budget is $1 billion smaller
than the first budget the governor presented four years
ago, making him the first New Jersey governor in more than
60 years to reduce state spending over the course of a first
term in office.
At the same time, the governor told lawmakers, he has made
every effort to reduce the size of government and minimize
the tax burden on New Jerseyans. The budget saves nearly
$400 million with a proposed wage freeze and furlough of
state workers.
The proposed budget contains a $5 million increase in the
Division of Mental Health Services (DMHS) for "Olmstead"
funding to develop community placements for individuals
in state psychiatric hospitals or at risk of hospitalization.
Aid to County Psychiatric Hospitals is to be increased by
$15.1 million. A grant from the Department of Justice will
provide $200 thousand for a Justice and Mental Health Collaboration.
Once again the budget proposes a $2 co-payment for medications
under Medicaid up to a maximum of $10 a month. The loan
forgiveness Program for Mental Health Workers is being discontinued
at a savings of $3.5 million. Revenue from Mental Health
Contract fees is projected to rise by $50 thousand. The
county share to support individuals in Mental Health Hospitals
is projected to rise from 12.5% to 15% at a cost to the
counties of $5 million.
NAMI NEW JERSEY will be publishing more information as
it becomes available
Read the Governor's Press release:
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/2009/approved/20090310.html
View the Budget in Brief:
http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/omb/publications/10bib/BIB.pdf
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SENATE APPROVES CODEY MENTAL HEALTH BILL
A bill sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex)
that would create an Involuntary Outpatient Commitment (IOC)
program in the State of New Jersey was approved by the full
Senate today by a vote of 37 to 0.
“This bill will create an entirely new mechanism
to get much-needed help to the portion of our population
that often gets overlooked,” said Codey. “Our
goal is to minimize time in the hospital and keep patients
in the least restrictive environment that will help foster
their recovery.”
The Bill now goes to the Assembly Human Services Committee
for action.
Read more:
http://www.politickernj.com/sciortino/28234/senate-approves-codey-bill-close-gap-mental-health-services
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JOHN NASH, A BEAUTIFUL CHALLENGE
Through the book on his life and the acclaimed film "A
Beautiful Mind," the public met John Forbes Nash Jr.,
the brash and brilliant winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics,
and his wife, Alicia, his caretaker when his severe mental
illness consumed their lives. This year, the Nashes are
quietly stepping into the spotlight again, but this time
on a statewide level. They are meeting with top elected
officials to discuss their worries about the state of mental
health care in New Jersey and beyond. They will be going
as advocates, and as parents. Their son is living with schizophrenia,
the same disease that plagued Nash most of his adult life.
See Susan Livio’s Feature Article:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1237090620223250.xml&coll=1
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PLAN TO BUY 50 ACRES AT GREYSTONE HITS SNAG
Morris County wants nothing to do with taking title to
the 133-year-old, abandoned Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital,
a state facility that was allowed to turn into a contaminated
ruin. Morris County already received 300 excess acres on
the Greystone campus from the state for a dollar in 2002,
in a deal brokered by Republican Gov. Donald DiFrancesco
and the all-Republican freeholder board and the county's
GOP legislators.
"Never in the history of the state has something like
that happened," said Senator Bob Smith. "In terms
of financial implications, that was huge. When Montgomery
Township wanted to buy the site of the North Jersey Developmental
Center, it paid $5.9 million. But Morris County paid nothing."
Read Lawrence Ragonese’s report:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/morris/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1237090605223250.xml&coll=1
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IN OUR OWN VOICE GETS MESSAGE OUT
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) developed
this unique education program in 2002 with a grant from
the Eli Lilly Co. At each hour-long presentation, two trained
consumers share their compelling personal stories about
living with mental illness and achieving recovery. Each
In Our Own Voice (IOOV) presentation follows the journey
to recovery through its five major stages: Dark Days; Acceptance;
Treatment; Coping Skills; and Successes, Hopes and Dreams.
The presenter introduces each stage with a brief video and
then relates his personal experience. Throughout an IOOV
presentation, audience members are encouraged to ask questions
and offer feedback. The more face-to-face contact they have
with the consumer, the more likely they are to change their
negative perceptions about mental illness.
Read more from the Times of Trenton:
http://www.nj.com/opinion/times/oped/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1237089934194790.xml&coll=5
