ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. TREASURER PROVIDES FEW DETAILS ON CHRISTIE'S MEDICAID OVERHAUL
2. ANDOVER TWP. TURNS AWAY OVERFLOW CROWD
3. SHOULD STATE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTIONS CLOSE?
4. NO STIGMA, LOTS OF SUPPORT
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TREASURER PROVIDES FEW DETAILS ON CHRISTIE'S MEDICAID OVERHAUL
Lawmakers who were hoping to come away from today's budget hearing with a better understanding of Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to overhaul Medicaid may be disappointed. Christie is hoping to save $300 million from overhauling Medicaid through a global waiver from the federal government. The administration has yet to detail how the waiver will change Medicaid, and the public and lawmakers have expressed frustration at the uncertainty in recent weeks.
“I love mystery books. I read them on the weekend. This budget is full of mysteries, but I don’t know who the victims are,” said Assemblywoman Joan Quigley.
See the Star Ledger report:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/nj_treasurer_provides_scant_de.html
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ANDOVER TWP. TURNS AWAY OVERFLOW CROWD
The more than 120 people who came to the municipal building for Tuesday's Land Use Board hearing on a proposed psychiatric rehabilitation facility in the township were sent home when local authorities determined that the over-capacity crowd was a fire hazard. The cancellation of the hearing drew the ire of many township residents. Some of those in attendance expressed concerns over having a psychiatric facility near their neighborhoods.
Cory Storch, the executive director of Bridgeway, said residents' concerns are based on unfounded fears. He said that rumors circulating among township residents are false.
Read more:
http://www.njherald.com/story/news/ANDOVERLUB3-30-11web
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SHOULD STATE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTIONS CLOSE?
Having been involved in direct care in the mental health system as a consumer-provider and having visited many people in institutions and in the community while serving on boards and committees, it is my opinion that, unfortunately, not all mentally ill people have responded to medication. For some, a number of meds are tried, but none give freedom from serious symptoms to be able to seek and live a good quality of life. Let us keep the option of long-term care for those who need it; and let us continue building innovative community programs. Both are needed in my opinion to continue to meet the needs of people living with mental illness in New Jersey.
Read the Daily Record Op Ed piece:
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20110318/NJOPINION03/110317012/1057/NJSPORTS02/GUEST-COMMENTARY-Should-state-mental-health-institutions-close-?odyssey=nav%7Chead
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NO STIGMA, LOTS OF SUPPORT
Gary Tucker, 55, of Port Republic knows what it's like to live with a loved one's serious mental illness. His late father had bipolar disorder, which results in severe swings from depression to mania and back again. He is one of the volunteer leaders of the National Alliance on Mental Illness's Atlantic-Cape Chapter. Stigma still causes many people to hide their family member's illness, but NAMI helps family members realize others are handling similar problems, and many diseases have become treatable.
Read more:
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/giving_back/no-stigma-lots-of-support-atlantic-cape-group-helps-people/article_f46b4cbd-e21d-5fee-94e1-7bfc817eab3f.html
