FY2026 Annual Report

36 75 th Anniversary Strengthening the Behavioral Healthcare Workforce A s a behavioral health workforce shortage and continually increasing demand for services are also challenges in New Jersey, NJMHI is undertaking efforts to engage diverse populations in the field as either providers or recipients of care. This project was launched in October 2025 with a roundtable, Solutions to Engaging Diverse Communities . Elsa Candelario, DSW, MSSW, LCSW, Vice Chair of the NJMHI Board of Trustees, reinforced the need for strategies. “Our charge is to connect these solutions to action and ensure that what we build actually works for the communities we serve,” she stated. “Every problem is an opportunity, every gap is an invitation for innovation, and everyone here is part of the solution. Together, we can shape equitable access to mental health care for all New Jerseyans,” added Dr. Candelario, who is a Professor of Professional Practice, Director of the MSW Program and Director, Latina/o/x Initiatives for Service, Training, and Assessment Certificate Program at the Rutgers University School of Social Work. The event continued with two panel discussions – one focused on engaging African-American communities with the behavioral healthcare workforce and the other with the same topic specifically relating to the Latinx population. Tawanda Hubbard, PhD, DSW, MSW, LCSW, Associate Professor of Professional Practice, Rutgers University School of Social Work, and Lisa Lawson, MBA, MSW, LCSW, then Executive Director of Forge Health New Jersey and currently NJAMHAA’s Associate Executive Director, moderated these discussions. The event concluded with another panel discussion, Increasing Access for All through Social Determinants of Health with a Focus on Cultural Competency , led by Vera Sansone, LCSW, President and CEO, CPC Integrated Health. Currently, the NJMHI Board of Trustees is planning for Fiscal Year 2027 additional focus groups to delve deeper into specific solutions. In 2012, the initiative was renamed the Sri Lanka Mental Health Relief Project and expanded its focus to educate many more people in Sri Lanka about mental illness and SUD and how to obtain help. Since civil strife in Sri Lanka prevented NJMHI from returning to provide more training there, trilingual educational brochures about symptoms and self- care were developed and distributed in Sri Lanka and their impact was evaluated. The final phase of this project was undertaken in 2018 and 2019. NJMHI selected the Sri Lanka Center for Development Facilitation to provide training and follow-up with individuals in rural and remote areas of Sri Lanka, which do not have a consistent cohort of clinicians. “ Since its inception, NJMHI has played an important role in advancing access to mental health services across New Jersey. Through several professional roles, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with NJMHI on initiatives that helped strengthen the state’s mental health system and expand services for those who need them. NJMHI’s mission creates opportunities for organizations and leaders to work together, promoting thoughtful approaches to addressing complex challenges and improving systems of care. ” Elsa Candelario, DSW, MSSW, LCSW Vice Chair, NJMHI Board of Trustees Professor of Professional Practice and Director of the MSW Program and LISTA (Latina/o/x Initiatives for Service, Training and Assessment) Certificate Program at Rutgers University School of Social Work