NJAMHAA News - October 2021

October 2021 8 N JAMHAA’s Information Technology (IT) Project was created in 1984 as a joint public/private venture among NJAMHAA, the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and Project participants, initially, to guide providers in moving from paper-and-pencil recordkeeping to using computers for this essential task. Its focus was primarily on hardware and software, with services including computer and network setup, maintenance, troubleshooting and repairs. “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,” said June Noto, Vice President of IT, Human Resources and Administrative Services. As IT evolved and providers’ technology needs have expanded over the years, so have the IT Project’s services and their value. For example, assistance expanded beyond addressing hardware and software needs to providing guidance on policies and other IT related issues, such as confidentiality and cybersecurity. The need for and importance of the IT Project, as well as its flexibility, became even more evident during the pandemic. Innovation and Resourcefulness throughout the Pandemic The IT Project assisted providers with getting set up for staff to work off-site. “First, we had to ensure that people were able to connect remotely in a secure manner. With members who have firewall capability, we were able to do this remotely,” Noto said. “We helped ensure connections were secure. This involved having providers use multi-factor authentication, so if someone compromises a password or accesses a device they shouldn’t be able to connect to, the official ‘owner’ gets notified and can authorize the access or not,” she stated. For example, the IT Project worked closely with Michele Ford, MA, President and CEO, and Angela Calzone, Chief Operating Officer, at Inroads to Opportunities “to turn the workforce to remote virtually overnight and ensured it was done safely and securely. At the time, Inroads wasn’t mobilized to have people work remotely to the extent we needed,” said Calzone, who joined the agency in January 2020, two months before the pandemic started. “The IT Project team was incredibly responsive when I arrived. IT is among my primary responsibilities and the IT Project staff are very forthcoming with information, very knowledgeable. They’ve been remarkably strategic partners and have the best interest of our agency at top of mind. They’re a phenomenal resource for us, and we are very impressed and appreciative of them.” At Triple C Housing, the capacity to move to a remote workforce had already been in place before working with the IT Project team, according to Kim Ewell, the agency’s Chief Operating Officer. “Working so closely with the IT Project staff, we further built our IT infrastructure to allow the transition to remote work. The IT Project is very useful, remotely accessing our computers to troubleshoot and resolve issues,” she said. “We have a great relationship with the IT Project staff assigned to us - Ron and Thom,” Ewell stated, referring to Ron Gordon, IT Project Director, and Thom Price, Local/Wide Area Network Engineer. “They are critical and have made a difference in what we were able to do. We are always able to call, text and e-mail them to find out how to make changes. They have always been here along with us,” Ewell added. While some agencies already had extensive technology in place, others had less when the pandemic began, and the IT Project enabled them to quickly implement what was needed. “We were all thrown into the pandemic together and were lost together. We had desktops, not laptops. We moved quickly to laptops and some didn’t have cameras. The IT Project provided valuable advice and recommendations,” said Mary Pettrow, CSW, Service Area Director, Children and Family Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton (CC-Trenton). As necessitated by the pandemic, especially in the early months, much of this support was provided remotely. “We educated the staff at agencies to be our eyes and hands while we were guiding them. They served as ‘human robots’ to install cameras and microphones so the IT Project could remotely do the rest of the work,” Noto explained, adding that FaceTime was frequently used to show members how to do things on their computers. IT Project Supports Members with COVID- related and many other Technology Needs N e w J e r s e y A s s o c i a t i o n o f M e n t a l H e a l t h a n d A d d i c t i o n A g e n c i e s , I n c . IT Project Your guide to tomorrow N J A M H A A October 2021