NJAMHAA FY2022 Annual Report

16 Members’ Insights Reinforce NJAMHAA’s Impactful Advocacy T hroughout the pandemic, participation in Membership Meetings and all of the practice groups has increased significantly, as members experienced and con - tinue to have a greater need for information and support from the association staff and colleagues in the field as they work through and encounter many new challenges. All groups are informing NJAMHAA’s advocacy on the need for increased rates for all types of services; un - precedented challenges in recruiting and retaining workers; the need for permanency of telehealth flexibilities that were implemented during the pandemic; and the 1115 Medicaid Waiver, as they work on preparing for managed care and strive to address the anticipated impact on treatment access and quality . Having the var- ious groups is highly impactful as colleagues from the same types of programs have opportunities to discuss how situations affect their particular services in different ways and this enhances NJAMHAA’s advocacy by providing a richer context. In fact, the value of the practice groups was further underscored by residential service providers’ interest in cre - ating a group specifically for them to address issues and the unique impacts on their programs. Following are highlights of each group’s initiatives and achievements. 1