NNews-July-2023

8 July 2023 Federal funding from the Substance Abuse andMental Health Services Administration, as well as other state and federal fundingwe have received, will enable us to increase all centers’ capacity, including staff and technology to handle the calls, texts and chat messages. Assistant Commissioner Mielke: New Jersey is also on track for achieving —and likely exceeding— the goal of having at least 90% of calls that originate fromNew Jersey-based area codes to be routed to and answered in New Jersey following the upcoming expansion of call center capacity. DMHAS is planning a public messaging campaign for later this year, which will certainly result in a higher volume of calls, texts and chat messages. Updates and More on the Vision for the Future DEVELOPMENT OF MOBILE CRISIS RESPONSE OUTREACH TEAMS Assistant Commissioner Mielke: We held listening sessions to gain feedback and recommendations from the general community for the request for proposals (RFP). We designed amodel that we believe will best meet our needs here inNew Jersey; andworkedwith a third-party vendor to further refine the model in preparation of a State Plan Amendment to submit to the Centers for Medicare andMedicaid Services for support of Medicaid reimbursement to leverage our resources. This will add to New Jersey’s continuum of mobile outreach with each service and response based on each individual’s needs. One and a half years ago, mobile outreach to adults experiencing acute psychiatric crises was primarily provided by psychiatric emergency screening services. However, not everyone needs inpatient treatment or involuntary commitment. The Attorney General’s office rolled out the ARRIVE (Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation) Together program, which has a law enforcement officer and a behavioral health professional conduct the mobile outreach together, or law enforcement will respond alone and a screener will follow up with each individual and family. Once we have mobile crisis response outreach teams, we will have a third model, which entails triage over the phone and dispatching a mental health teamwithout law enforcement accompaniment on most calls. Mary JeanWeston: This will be new in the adult system. For children, we have a comprehensive systemwith PerformCare. It is a model for other states. EVIDENCE-BASED CRISIS RECEIVING AND STABILIZATION CENTERS Assistant Commissioner Mielke: We are developing this model based on best practice models found in other states. This will be a new service for New Jersey. DEVELOPMENT OF WARM TRANSFER PROTOCOLS BETWEEN 988 AND 911 AND WITH OTHER CALL LINES Assistant Commissioner Mielke: We need to have a continuum of response in place to ensure that transfers happen in the best way for each person in need. It will take time to identify how and when to make cross- system referrals. Then we will develop and provide training to ensure effective transfer of calls and delivery of the appropriate service for each individual. We are informing 911 staff and volunteers about howpeople are presentingwith mental health and substance use issues, and the available resources, andwe are giving themguidance. We have been discussing transfer protocols with PerformCare for about a year. We piloted a transfer protocol and it is working successfully. Other call lines available for support and referrals include REACHNJ, which is specifically for substance use services, and Rutgers University’s peer helplines, Mom2Mom, Vet2Vet and Cop2Cop. REACHNJ: 1-844-732-2465 Mom2Mom: 1-877-914-6662 Vet2Vet: 1-866-838-7654 Cop2Cop: 1-866-267-2267