NJAMHAA-FY23-Annual-Report

31 NJAMHAA Annual Report FY 2023 In-person Conferences and Webinars Provide Training with Lasting Value A highlight of training events in FY2023 was returning to in-person conferences in the spring following a three-year hiatus due to COVID. Amplifying NJAMHAA’s determination to break new barriers, the theme of the Spring Conference was Transcending Today, Transforming Tomorrow . It was held on April 25 and 26, 2023 at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. As information technology (IT) is critical for enhancing the quality and continuity of care, the IT Project held its Annual Conference, Innovative Trends and Technology Impacting the Future of Behavioral Health , on May 10, 2023 at the Conference Center at RWJ Hamilton. All the staff, vendors and attendees enormously valued the opportunity to reconnect and network, as well as gain a rich variety of important information and skills, without needing any computers to do so! The Spring Conference began with a compelling keynote presentation, Dismantling Structural Racism in Behavioral Healthcare , by Ruth Shim, MD, MPH, Associate Dean of Diverse and Inclusive Education, University of California, Davis School of Medicine. The first day also featured a plenary session during which Valerie Mielke, MSW, Assistant Commissioner, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS); Jennifer Langer Jacobs, MPC, Assistant Commissioner, Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS); and Mollie Greene, MA, CADC, Assistant Commissioner, Children’s System of Care, Department of Children and Families, shared updates on their departments’ and divisions’ initiatives. The second day began with a keynote presentation, Opportunities and Challenges in Public Policy for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders , by Paul Samuels, JD, Director and President, Legal Action Center. For the plenary session, Charles Ingoglia, MSW, President and CEO, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, shared his insights about federal policies relating to mental health care and substance use treatment. First day keynote, Dismantling Structural Racism in Behavioral Healthcare , by Ruth Shim, MD, MPH First day plenary session, presented by Valerie Mielke, MSW; Jennifer Langer Jacobs, MPC; and Mollie Greene, MA, CADC SPRING CONFERENCE 2023 Transcending Today, Transforming Tomorrow! Second day keynote, Opportunities and Challenges in Public Policy for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, by Paul Samuels, JD Second day plenary session, presented by Charles Ingoglia, MSW