FY2026 Annual Report

Annual Report FY2026 21 T he ICMS Practice Group continued its advocacy for updated program regulations and discusses these regularly with staff from DMHAS as part of this ongoing effort. This advocacy was met with success in 2026 with multiple requested changes incorporated into the Annex A. The ICMS’ annual conference in the fall of 2025, which was once again a hybrid event, was a great success. The ICMS Practice Group has integrated its conference planning, previously undertaken by a separate conference committee, into the agenda for the larger practice group to provide more members with the opportunity for input. The group is well into planning its 2026 conference. Hospital discharges and referrals were also discussed with the group, noting there are now far fewer referrals from hospitals than in the past and that most are from the community. At each meeting, the chairs provide updates from the latest ICMS state meeting, regularly addressing current issues such as the implementation of the 5121 Incarcerated Youth Re-entry initiative. Also on each agenda is a discussion of recent site visits so members can share their experiences and the recommendations for improvement they have received. G iven the expanding scope of nursing practice and the critical role they play in integrated behavioral health and substance use treatment, NJAMHAA launched the Nursing Practice Group in January 2026 to serve as a dedicated platform to highlight and advance nursing leadership. The timing for this group is even more opportune with the upcoming implementation of integrated licenses. An equally important issue, which affects all NJAMHAA members, is the continually increasing demand for, yet decreasing supply of, nurses and other behavioral healthcare providers. This group is exploring opportunities to increase nurses’ visibility and reinforce advocacy on their behalf. The group invited Judy Schmidt, DHA, MSN, RN, Chief Executive Officer, New Jersey State Nurses Association (NJSNA), to its second meeting to discuss the most pressing issues for today’s nurses. They shared common concerns and goals, including safety/preventing workplace violence; the need to develop the pipeline of nurses, as well as recruit and retain more nurse faculty, as an extreme shortage of nurses is expected by 2030; and numerous related bills that the State Legislature recently introduced. The group also plans to develop strategies for developing cost-effective pathways for individuals to become nurses and for aspiring nurses to collaborate with established nurses and physicians. Additional priorities that the Nursing Practice Group is focusing on are reducing burnout and the burden of documentation; advocating against the U.S. Department of Education’s reclassification of professional degrees and illustrating its negative impact on the current and future nursing workforce by significantly reducing the dollar amounts of loans for tuition; addressing medication issues, including access challenges from providers and clients’ perspectives; loss of the human touch with the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies; and licensing regulations, such as those that do not allow LPNs or RNs to conduct assessments in residential substance use treatment programs. Nursing Practice Group Integrated Case Management Services (ICMS) Practice Group CO-CHAIRS: Renee Carrillo, MS Director of Burlington and Mercer ICMS and Camden and Mercer Senior Well Being Oaks Integrated Care Laurie DeSimone-Celuch, LPC, LCADC, ACS, CCS Senior Director, Hospital and Community Services CarePlus NJ, Inc. CO-CHAIRS: Lisa Merritt, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, NE-BC NJAMHAA Board Member Chief Nurse Executive Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton Michele Miller, MSN, RN Vice President, Inpatient, Emergency and Nursing Services, and Community School Programs Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care