NNews October 2024

24 October 2024 NJMHI Leaders Share their Views on the Institute’s Ongoing Impact F or FY2025, the New Jersey Mental Health Institute (NJMHI) welcomed several incumbents as well as new members to its Board of Trustees. The combination of continuing and new leaders fortifies NJMHI with a strong diversity of experience and expertise that will undoubtedly lead to powerful strategies and their impactful implementation. NJAMHAANews spoke with all NJMHI Board members, in addition to those who also serve on the NJAMHAA Board and were featured in the previous article, to gain further insight into NJMHI’s achievements and potential impact in the future. (continued on page 25) NJMHI’s Impactful Accomplishments to Date NJMHI’s international efforts and successes include training on site in Sri Lanka. Between 2005 and 2019, NJMHI developed and implemented the Sri Lanka Mental Health Relief Project. Launched shortly after the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, NJMHI provided tri-lingual training in Sri Lanka in 2005 and sent educational materials in subsequent years that enabled more than 200,000 individuals there to recognize symptoms of mental illness and refer individuals for treatment when needed. Additional training to help 2,500 people in rural areas of Sri Lanka was provided in 2018 and 2019. “One of the things I appreciate about NJMHI is its consistency in being collaborative with local, regional, national and international organizations to help drive the conversation about the needs of themental health community,” said BeckyWong, PharmD, MBA, Medical Science Director, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. In fact, NJMHI’s international presence also resulted in the Japan Psychiatric Association for International Partnership (KAISEIKAI) requesting that NJMHI host a group of its members in September 2017. They came toNew Jersey to learn about the state’s behavioral healthcare system and consider strategies used here to strengthen the Japanese psychiatric field. For New Jersey, NJMHI’s work also resulted in the establishment of state- funded cultural competence training centers andmandatory training in social and cultural diversity for New Jersey’s certified and licensed mental health professionals. In addition, from 2014 to 2017, NJMHI provided training on evidence-based clinical practices for most effectively serving New Jersey military veterans and their families. “We all work collectively, andwe share our thoughts, challenges and insights to identify unmet need in the psychiatric field. NJMHI is at the forefront, NJMHI Board Chair KendriaMcWilliams, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Maryville Integrated Care, highlighted several of NJMHI’s achievements. For example, between 2001 and 2006, NJMHI collaboratedwith the University of Medicine andDentistry of New Jersey (now part of Rutgers University) to provide behavioral healthcare training for the state’s Children’s Systemof Care providers. And between 2001 and 2012, the organization improved access and quality of behavioral health services for Hispanic individuals inNew Jersey. The model incorporating these evidence- based practices was recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). Michele Eichorn, MSW, MBA, LCSW, LCADC, Chief Operating Officer, Center for Family Services, also identified the recognition by theWHO as one of NJMHI’smajor successes. “That’s a real credit to the Institute and the State of New Jersey,” she said. “I’m really impressed both by the historical and recent achievements of NJMHI.”