NJAMHAA-FY21-annual-report

23 While the pandemic introduced many new challenges, including several that are technology centered, NJAMHAA’s Information Technology (IT) Project was constantly available to support staff and members. In addition to continuing its training series and presenting new webinars, the IT Project team assisted members with the transition from serving clients in-person to using telehealth. They also supported agencies by expanding NJAMHAA’s own and members’ IT systems for remote workers as it became apparent that the pandemic was going to be an issue for a longer period of time. In addition, the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) sought the IT Project’s expertise when the COVID Relief Fund became available to reimburse providers for pandemic- related expenses. The IT Project worked with DMHAS to review agencies’ submissions for reimbursement for hardware and software purchases they had to make to support telehealth. The IT Project staff reviewed submitted proposals to ensure they were HIPAA compliant and reasonably priced based on industry averages and reported their findings back to DMHAS who made the final determination on the funding requests. Throughout the year, the IT Project continued to hold committee and practice group meetings utilizing the Zoom platform. In addition, the team rolled out Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) to enhance e-mail security, for members and staff, as this past year has seen a large rise in spam, phishing e-mails and attacks to hack e-mail addresses. MFA is another layer of protection to prevent login to e-mail accounts if any individuals’ passwords are compromised. IT Project Continues Essential Services and Expands Support for Members “This Project was unique in the nation then and the leadership that the Project has provided and currently offers is still unparalleled within the 50 states.” – June Noto, Vice President, Human Resources, IT and Administrative Services NJAMHAA