FY2024 Annual Report

17 NJAMHAA Annual Report FY 2024 NJAMHAA Builds its Advocacy and Achieves Impact with Members’ Input One of the many values of membership — as well as a significant factor in NJAMHAA’s high impact — is participation on practice groups and councils, as well as in membership meetings. The association and the entire state behavioral healthcare system, which includes provider organizations and the individuals they serve, benefit tremendously because providers’ input informs and, therefore, strengthens NJAMHAA’s advocacy. Members share their feedback on legislation and regulations, both when they are proposed and when they are passed/adopted; details on funding needs and how increased reimbursement would contribute to improved delivery of services and better outcomes; and specific examples of how rules, budget restraints and other challenges impact access to and quality of services. “ NJAMHAA historically has been a resource to bring people together and get on the same page, involving stakeholders in the work that we do and having that support in different areas in the state. ” Ron DeFeo, MSEd Chief Executive Officer Center for Family Guidance Health Network At all of these forums, providers and other leaders in and related to the field, including representatives from the state government and other organizations, engage in dynamic and often strategic conversations and share valuable information, which informs recommendations that NJAMHAA presents to state and federal leaders. This is achieved through meetings with legislators and state policymakers, as well as correspondence with all of these individuals and their staff, throughout the year. The membership meetings and many of the practice groups and councils also frequently host guest presenters, including behavioral healthcare experts and fellow stakeholders who are well-known throughout New Jersey and, in many cases, across the nation. For example, the membership meetings in FY2024 featured a presentation, Updates to Trends in Behavioral Health Care and their Impact as New Jersey Transitions into Medicaid Managed Care , by Ken Carr, MDiv, CPA, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS; a national briefing from Shawn Coughlin, President and CEO, National Association for Behavioral Healthcare; and a panel discussion, Serving Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental Illnesses and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities , with providers from three member organizations. In addition, multiple members had opportunities to share details about their new and innovative programs and their impact. These presentations lead to partnerships among members to expand and enhance their services. The next pages share specific examples of each group’s achievements, goals and/or areas of focus.