President Biden Delivers His 2024 State of the Union Address
March 11, 2024
President Joe Biden's recent State of the Union address lasted
just over an hour and packed in highlights of both his
Administration's achievements over the past three years and many
proposals and requests to Congress to pass legislation.
Importantly, after noting a han...
NJCCN Report: Increased Nursing Education and Funding to Counteract Statewide Shortage
The New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing (NJCCN) has
published its 2024 New Jersey Nursing Data &
Analysis report, which utilizes data from 2021 through 2023.
The report highlights that multiple reports have been released
nationally over the past two or three years, which sen...
New Jersey Senate and Assembly Announce Public Hearings for the FY2025 State Budget
February 29, 2024
Following the release of Governor Murphy's proposed Fiscal Year
(FY) 2025 State Budget, the New JerseySenate Budget and
Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Budget Committee have
announced they will be conducting their respective public
hearings on the FY2025 St...
Gov. Murphy's Proposed Budget Is a Start; Much More Investment is Needed in Behavioral Health Care
February 28, 2024
The Administration's "single-highest priority" continues to be
"investing in the long-term success of our families, our
children, our seniors, and every community in New Jersey," stated
Governor Phil Murphy in his FY2025 State Budget address earlier
today. He detaile...
June Noto Announces Retirement Plans; NJAMHAA Seeks to Fill “Big Shoes” for Administrative Director
February 27, 2024
After serving at NJAMHAA for 22 years, initially as
Information Technology (IT) Project Director and then
Vice President of IT, Human Resources and Administrative
Services, June Noto has announced plans to retire ...
New Report: Health Related Social Needs: An Emerging Opportunity for Behavioral Health
February 22, 2024
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has shared a
new report, Health Related Social Needs: An Emerging
Opportunity for Behavioral Health, outlining ways to
secure and improve funding to expand services addres...
Gov. Murphy Announces Allocation of $95M from the New Jersey Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund
February 20, 2024
On February 15, 2024, Governor Phil Murphy announced the
allocation of more than $95 million from New Jersey's Opioid
Recovery and Remediation Fund, providing funding to support
critical programs tackling the opioid crisis; connecting New
Jerseyans with tools to redu...
Study Suggests Smell Therapy Could Help People with Depression
February 15, 2024
A
study published this week in
JAMA Network Open suggests that familiar scents
could help individuals with depression recall specific memories,
something that has been
identified as a difficulty for those dealing with
depression.
Kymberly Young, Associate ...
NIAAA Study Identifies an Area of the Brain that May Coordinate Responses to Traumatic Situations
February 13, 2024
A new study, led by scientists at the National Institute of
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a part of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), has identified an area within the
brain's frontal cortex that may coordinate animals' responses to
potentially traumat...
HHS Finalizes New Provisions to Enhance Integrated Care, Confidentiality for Patients with SUD
February 12, 2024
On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA), finalized modifications to the Confidentiality of
Substance Use Disorder...
New Jersey to Receive Nearly $9.5 Million from an Opioid Settlement with Publicis Health, LLC
February 8, 2024
On Friday, February 2, 2024 New Jersey Attorney General Matthew
J. Platkin announced that New Jersey will receive nearly $9.5
million from a national settlement with Publicis Health, LLC
(Publicis) to resolve investigations into the global marketing
and communications...
New Jersey’s Naloxone 365 Program Distributes More than 132,000 Doses of Naloxone in its First Year
February 6, 2024
New Jersey's Naloxone 365 program, announced in 2022 and
launched in January of 2023, aims to reduce fatal
overdoses by offering naloxone, an opioid reversal drug,
to individuals aged 14 and older.
...
For Black History Month, Columbia U. Highlights the Struggle for Mental Health Equity and Justice
Feb. 5, 2024
For Black History Month, the Columbia University Department of
Psychiatry and the New York State Psychiatric Institute are
honoring Black History Month through the lens of this year's
theme, "African Americans and the Arts," paying homage to the
immense, creative influenc...
New Jersey Reentry Corp. Shares NJAMHAA-Supported Report: The Scourge of Addiction in New Jersey
February 1, 2024
The New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC), with input and
technical support from NJAMHAA, developed a detailed Annual
Report: The Scourge of Addiction in New Jersey,
which includes specific policy recommendations to improve access
to addiction treatment, and ensure th...
SAMHSA Releases Updated Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit
January 30, 2024
On January 29, 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is observing its
20th
Annual Prevention Day, for which a national
gathering was held at th...
CMS Announces New Model to Advance Integration in Behavioral Health
January 22, 2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently
hosted a behavioral health stakeholder call during which a new
behavioral health care model, Innovation in Behavioral Health
(IBH), was announced.
As stated in
CMS' IBH fact sheet, "IBH aims to impro...
Congress Prepares to Pass Continuing Resolution, Averting Partial Government Shutdown
January 17, 2024
On Sunday, January 14, 2024, Congressional leaders announced that
an agreement had been reached that would avert a partial
government shutdown that was set to begin on January 19, 2024.
Two months ago, on November 16, 2023, President Biden signed into
law a two-tier...
HHS Launches New Medicaid/CHIP Resource Hub with Renewal and Transition Resources
January 16, 2024
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
announced the launch of a new, online and user-friendly hub for
partners to access critical Medicaid and Children's Health
Insurance Program (CHIP) renewal and transition resources.
This hub pulls toget...
New State Law Authorizes Network Pharmacies to Offer Lower-Cost Prescription Drug Options
January 12, 2024
Governor Phil Murphy signed
S3604 into law as P.L.2023, c.221., which authorizes
the use of healthcare platforms providing discounted prices for
payment of prescription and non-prescription drugs, devices, and
telehealth and telemedicine services.
This law prohib...
DHS Announces Enhancements to Adult I/DD Emergency Services Programs
January 9, 2024
Last week, January 5, 2024, Sarah Adelman, Commissioner of the
New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), announced
significant enhancements to the statewide emergency services
programs aiding adults with intellectual and developmental
disabilities (I/DD).
As s...