NNews December 2023

25 December 2023 Valery Bailey, MPA, CPM, joined PerformCare New Jersey, a long-time member of NJAMHAA’s Integrated Healthcare Council, as Director of Operations in 2021 and became the Executive Director just a year later. This opportunity was a natural progression in her career in New Jersey’s behavioral healthcare system, as she previously served in a variety of direct care roles in children’s and adults’ services and held administrative positions in several state departments. In fact, Bailey was part of the group that built the foundation for the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and at PerformCare, she PerformCare’s Executive Director Aims to Achieve the Greatest Impact on Children and their Families continues to support the vision of the Children’s System of Care (CSOC), one of DCF’s divisions that she helped develop. “We are the CSOC’s partner in developing their vision, and we use that vision to set our own goals every year,” she said. “What droveme to PerformCare was that I watched PerformCare build out the Contracted System Administrator system for DCF, and I knew their vision and expectations and what this entity should do. To be impactful, I knew I needed to be in a role such as this. When your goal is to be purpose driven, the rewards are immeasurable,” Bailey stated. “When you touch somany things, at some point, you look for opportunities to be more purpose driven and impactful. We servemore than 35,000 children. One of the greatest journeys is working with parents to strengthen their families. The rewards are thousands fold.” In addition to determining the appropriate level of care for each child and making the connection to the most fitting behavioral healthcare provider, PerformCare serves as the warm transfer line for the 988 crisis response system. “Now that the messaging about 988 is out, we are receiving calls. We will provide support in immediate crises and we are still an entry point to connect the dots and provide the service for all levels of need,” Bailey explained. Baileymakes extra efforts tomaintain and strengthen relationships with providers. One way she does this is by participating onNJAMHAA’s Children’s Practice Group. “This allows me to see what’s really happening in the world — providers’ challenges. As we build our goals and initiatives, we can have real-life impact in decisions,” Bailey said. “I’m a NJAMHAA champion,” Bailey commented, noting that she learned about NJAMHAAmany years ago when she worked in the Department of Human Services’ Office of Program Integrity and Accountability. “Everywhere I go, I encourage people to be involvedwithNJAMHAA. NJAMHAA is unique. It’s all about whowe serve and also impacting the whole landscape and howwe serve people,” Bailey stated.