NJAMHAA News Winter 2023

3 While the workforce crisis impacts the behavioral healthcare field more than any other industry, NJAMHAA remains focused on this critical issue through advocacy, as well as professional development programs. In addition to the conferences and webinars we host throughout the year, we launched through our 501(c)3 the New Jersey Mental Health Institute (NJMHI) Leadership Academy for Behavioral Healthcare Professionals. NJAMHAA recently unveiled its new advocacy campaign, Diverse Faces: Partners in Care , which highlights the critical role the behavioral healthcare workforce plays in making it possible for individuals to recover frommental health and substance use disorders and achievemany other goals. The campaign brochure and videos send a powerful message about the value of the individuals in behavioral health delivering care and support on the frontlines on a daily basis and reinforces the need for more funding to strengthen and expand the system. We are excited that our upcoming conferences will be held in person and we look forward to interaction among our attendees, speakers, members and vendors while gaining essential knowledge, skills and resources. The NJAMHAA Spring Conference, Transcending Today, Transforming Tomorrow , will be held on April 25 and 26, 2023 at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. Highlights include a keynote presentation, Federal Behavioral Health Policies and Their Impacts on Day to Day Operations by Paul Samuels, JD, President and Director, Legal Action Center; a plenary session, What’s Next for Substance Use and Mental Health Policy? , with Chuck Ingoglia, MSW, President and CEO, National Council on Mental Wellbeing; and workshops on addressing clinician burnout and boosting staff retention, serving the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, building an integrated crisis system and best practices for housing and criminal justice. The Spring Conference will also feature workshops focused on information technology (IT). Topics include technologies needed to survive and using technology to improve care delivery and supervision. Many more IT-related topics will be the focus of the IT Project’s conference, Innovative Trends and Technology Impacting the Future of Behavioral Health , which will take place onMay 10, 2023 at the RWJ Fitness &Wellness Center in Hamilton, NJ. We look forward to receiving presentation proposals by February 13 th and sharing the programagenda soon afterwards. From the Desk of Debra L. Wentz, PhD President and CEO Please visit https://njamhaa.org/events for more information about both conferences and sponsorship, exhibiting and advertising opportunities. Please also see page 24 for details on the many valuable, cost-effective services that the IT Project offers. While conferences and webinars are for one or two days, individuals can participate in year-long professional development with the NJMHI Leadership Academy for Behavioral Healthcare Professionals. Currently, we are seeking the Fall 2023 cohort of mentees and mentors in all areas of the behavioral healthcare field— clinical, legal, IT, finance, human resources, etc. —and coaches from other industries to increase the program’s participation and impact for the individuals involved and the behavioral healthcare system. Please see page 1 3 for details and contact us for applications, which are due May 15, 2023. With warmest wishes, Debra L. Wentz, PhD President and CEO