NJAMHAA News Winter 2022

October 2021 4 October 2021 For example, traumatic experiences during Amir’s childhood led to mental health challenges that had not been addressed until he was a teenager and arrived at Oaks Integrated Care’s Florence Klemmer Group Home. Through therapy and support in building coping skills, Amir improved his grades, became very involved in school and obtained employment, and he plans to attend college and pursue a career in social services. Unfortunately, many children and adults miss opportunities to achieve successes such as Amir’s because of limited access to treatment and support services. “There is a simple solution: To move toward equity in health care, contracts and fee-for- service rates for mental health and substance use treatment and supports need to be increased to match the cost of care and provide for a stable workforce,” Dr. Wentz stated. “Without these resources, our diverse population will not be able to access the services they need and deserve to live their healthiest and most fulfilling lives possible.” NewWebsite Highlights Equity, Features Easier Navigation to Valuable Resources NJAMHAA’s constant focus on increasing access to services for everyone is immediately evident to visitors of the newwebsite (www.njamhaa.org ), which features a photo representing the diverse individuals who reside in New Jersey and are served by NJAMHAAmembers. The homepage also includes a message fromDr. Wentz that highlights the Diverse Faces advocacy campaign. “Throughout New Jersey and in the national forefront, NJAMHAA has been fighting stigma and discrimination and helping children, youth and adults lead successful lives. In the community, NJAMHAA is positioned to provide strategic direction in helping members and residents overcome win er 202 I never had friends before and now I do. I always felt bad about myself and now I don’t. This program is awesome! [continued from page 1]