NNews January 2025

24 January 2025 Challenges Persist; More Early Intervention Services Are Needed Children’s System of Care (CSOC) and become more familiar with funding opportunities to better serve youth in need. Despite the successes, Roden and Lonza emphasize that there is still much to do to ensure that all youth in need of care have access to appropriate services. In particular, North Jersey faces challenges related to low reimbursement rates for OP services and a shift in referral sources. Post-COVID, there has been an increase in residential referrals overall especially fromMobile Response, probation, and hospitals as opposed to the more traditional referrals from lower levels of care such as OP and intensive outpatient (IOP). Reimbursement rates are best for the IOP level of care, but the length of the groups and weekly commitment of time often does not fit in with a youth’s schedule for school, and for some, school and work. In addition, IOP cannot be billed for unless they attend three groups and an individual session each week. Adolescents seem to have higher no-show and cancellation rates than adults, but they can be highwith both. New Hope Partners with Schools to Ensure Youth Receive SUD Treatment (continued from page 23) While New Hope works closely with care management organizations (CMOs) to provide wraparound services, challenges still exist for some youth, particularly those not enrolled in CMOs. David Roden, LCSW, LCADC, President and Chief Operating Officer, noted that students with less severe SUD and other emotional-behavioral challenges often face difficulty accessing intensive outpatient services and theymay not meet the enrollment criteria for a CMO, which is determined by scoring contained within a Strength and Needs Assessment. “Many CMO-eligible youths rely on intensive in-community care or in-home therapy, but this, while beneficial, cannot always replace the benefit of group therapy. It is only when the youth gets sicker that they become eligible to receivemore services. More early intervention services are needed,” he said. To help providers navigate these challenges, New Hope encourages increased collaboration among schools, CMOs and community provider agencies. Roden stressed that providers need to better understand the available resources within the “ Many CMO-eligible youths rely on intensive in-community care or in-home therapy, but this, while beneficial, cannot always replace the benefit of group therapy. It is only when the youth gets sicker that they become eligible to receive more services. More early intervention services are needed. ” David Roden, LCSW, LCADC President and Chief Operating Officer, NewHope Integrated Behavioral Health Care Recovery High School at Brookdale Community College Despite the challenges, New Hope has made significant strides in ensuring services are available to youth across New Jersey. In addition to providing services at RBRHS, NewHope works closely with KEYS ACADEMY, a recovery high school located at Brookdale Community College, which provides students with a structured environment where they can continue their academic educationwhile receiving treatment for SUD. The school offers a combination of counseling, sober support activities, and academic classes, helping students stay on track with their education and recovery. In turn, New Hope offers support with counseling services and participation in community events. (continued from page 25)