NJAMHAA - 2021 Advocacy Piece

4 Gratefully, in the FY2021 budget, there is $45 million for the New Jersey Department of Children and Families to invest in rates across the Children’s System of Care. We anticipate that the very obviously inadequate $130 rate for Child Psychiatrist assessments will be among those addressed. This investment, which will annualize to $90 million in FY2022, must be built upon with a comparable investment in rates for adult programs. There are also programmatic changes that can be implemented to alleviate some of the current pressures on the workforce. First and foremost would be to allow Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) to fill the role of Psychiatrists in Programs of Assertive Community Treatment (PACTs). Psychiatric APNs should also be permitted to sign Screening Certificates, which will contribute to reducing how long individuals are held in emergency rooms. To truly build a better future for community-based behavioral health programs and those they serve, a one-time adjustment of rates to cover the actual costs of care, including competitive salaries, must be accompanied by a formula that indexes the rates to increasing costs. Without such an index, the future state of the workforce will rapidly become a repeat of the past. There are many actions New Jersey can take to avert a truly devastating workforce crisis. While several FFS rates have been adjusted in recent years, many are inadequate and do not cover the current costs of care. Moreover, the current costs providers are incurring are deflated as they do not include fair, competitive wages for their staff. An independent study of all FFS rates, required by a 2017 New Jersey law, is expected to finally get underway in 2021. On behalf of the 500,000 plus adults and children served annually by community-based providers of mental health and substance use treatment services, the workforce needs more immediate solutions. Funding to fill the $25 million FFS gap must be included in the FY2022 budget along with an appropriation to match the cost of the increasing minimumwage. LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY Develop a formula for upward adjustments of rates and contracts that is tied to an inflationary index to prevent erosion of their adequacy to cover actual costs of care, including competitive salaries. LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY Pass legislation permitting Psychiatric APNs to sign Screening Certificates. Amend regulations to allow Psychiatric APNs to lead PACT teams in lieu of Psychiatrists. POLICY PRIORITY After multiple attempts in a lower level of care to stop using cannabis, sedatives and hypnotics, 16-year-old Genesis was referred to NewHope Integrated Behavioral Healthcare’s residential program, where she also received treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Through a combination of medicationmonitoring and clinical interventions including journaling, cognitive behavioral therapy and introduction to the 12-step philosophy, Genesis blossomed with growing self-esteemand a commitment to achievingmeaningful change. After completing residential treatment at NewHope, she continued to progress through participation in intensive outpatient services and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, as well as continued psychiatricmedicationmonitoring. Genesis has completed probation and was accepted into Job Corp where she completed her education. She is now being trained to be a Certified Nursing Assistant and Security Analyst. A NEW BEGINNING FOR GENESIS