2025 advocacy piece

Recommendations: 8 Untold Stories F or many months, Juanita was experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression, which made it difficult for her to go to her job and to socialize with her friends. When Juanita finally built the motivation and courage to seek help, she was added to a wait list and would not be able to have her first appointment at an outpatient mental healthcare center for at least three months. During this waiting period, her mental health further deteriorated and led to a drastic decline in her job performance because she struggled to concentrate and fell behind with her responsibilities. Ultimately, she lost her job. The delay in receiving care not only worsened Juanita’s mental state, but also impacted her physical health with insomnia and, not surprisingly, exhaustion. Her Pass S3565/A2803 with amendments to: • Include Social Work Interns and Master of Social Work Alcohol and Drug Counselor students in the definition of healthcare provider for the purpose of providing telehealth services; and • Clarify that unlicensed and non-certified staff may provide telehealth services equivalent to those they are permitted to provide in person. Pass S1761/A2805 to bring accountability to New Jersey’s licensing Boards. relationships with friends suffered as she withdrew socially because she felt isolated and ashamed, and this resulted in more intense depression. Fortunately, Juanita was able to be stabilized with individual therapy and medication management from Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton’s (CCT’s) Early Intervention Support Services (EISS) program. With Juanita’s consent, the EISS staff referred her to CCT’s outpatient program to maintain her stability and ensure there would not be a gap in her care. If Juanita were able to get into treatment much earlier, she would have been spared the torment of worsening depression and anxiety and the resulting impact on her relationships. In addition, she may not have ended up losing her job, which could have prevented further worsening of her mental health challenges, as well as stress resulting from financial constraints.