NJAMHAA-70th-anniversary-publication

9 1975 - NJAMHAA hired its rst paid sta member, Dominic A. Colangelo, ACSW, as the part-time Executive Director. 1974 - The rst program to credential alcoholism counselors was launched. 1973 - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was rst described. - The HMO Act was passed, creating a trial federal program to encourage the establishment of health maintenance organizations 1972 - State mental health funding was moved to Medicaid. 1975 - Women for Sobriety was founded. - Nearly 75% of mental health care was provided in the community versus institutions (a complete turnaround from 1955). 1974 - The association was renamed New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies. 1973 - NJAMHAA successfully advocated for another doubling of the per-capita allocation to $1. resources, and makes a real concerted effort to help members see what’s around them so they can stra- tegically plan for change,” added Ramsland, who got involved with NJAMHAA in the early 1990s when he became CEO of SERV Behavioral Health System and served as NJAMHAA Board Chair in 1996 and 1997. The praise and appreciation for NJAMHAA have certainly continued, as the following quotes from more recent members demonstrate: Bob Pekar, LCSW, a former NJAMHAA Board member and former President and CEO of Oaks Integrated Care, said, “What strikes me is the value and influ- ence of NJAMHAA as a leader. I don’t know if we could’ve made the multitude of advances in the field if we didn’t have NJAMHAA.” Although NJAMHAA directly represents service providers, the association’s advocacy ultimately “No one understands what we go through better than a group of peers. We have more advocacy power as a group.” - Philip Wilson, Former NJAMHAA Board Member “I see a recognition by the members of NJAMHAA that every issue we address is bigger than us individually and we are stronger together. We need to come together, prioritize and strategize to move everything forward.” - Jacques Hryshko, Current NJAMHAA Board Vice Chair