COVID Cases Rise across the Country with New Highly Mutated “Pirola” Variant Identified
September 7, 2023
In the week of August 20 to August 26, 2023, COVID-19
hospitalizations across the U.S. have increased by 15.7% compared
to the prior week , with a 17.6% increase in COVID-19 deaths
across the same time, according to
data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Pr...
Biden-Harris Administration Announces First Ten Drugs Selected for Medicare Price Negotiation
August 31, 2023
As signed into law under the Inflation Reduction Act,
over the next four years, Medicaid will negotiate prices
for up to 60 drugs covered under Medicare Part D and Part
B, and up to an additional 20 drugs every year...
SAMHSA’s HHRC Shares Fact Sheet on Xylazine Basics, Overdose Prevention, Harm Reduction, Wound Care
August 29, 2023
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's
(SAMHSA's) Homeless & Housing Resource Center (HHRC) has
shared a fact sheet on Xylazine basics, providing information on
overdose prevention, harm reduction, wound care, and more
Xylazine, also know...
CVS Health Foundation Calls for Applications for Centering Youth Mental Health Initiative
August 24, 2023
The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) has
shared a notice of the CVS Health Foundation issuing a call for
applications for its 2023 Centering Youth Mental Health grant
program.
The Centering Youth Mental Health grant program is a multi-year
phila...
NJHMFA and Monarch Housing Associates Publish 2023 Point-in-Time Homelessness Count for NJ
NJCounts is the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of individuals
and families experiencing homelessness in New Jersey, required by
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
directed by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
(NJHMFA), and managed by Monarch Hou...
NJ DHS Launches StopOverdoses.nj.gov
August 10, 2023
On Wednesday, August 7, 2023, New Jersey Department of Human
Services (DHS) Commissioner Sarah Adelman announced the launch of
StopOverdoses.nj.gov, a resource for New Jersey
residents to locate pharmacies providing naloxone, the opioid
overdose reversal agent, free...
U.S. DOL Sues UnitedHealth Group over Improper Claims Denials
August 3, 2023
On Monday, July 31, 2023, the United States Department of Labor
(DOL) initiated a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, alleging
that the healthcare provider improperly denied thousands of
patients' payments for emergency room services and urinary drug
screenings.
The...
Gov. Murphy Announces Dr. Kaitlan Baston as New Department of Health Commissioner
July 27, 2023
On July 25, 2023, Governor Phil Murphy announced his intention to
nominate Kaitlan Baston, MD, MSc, DFASAM, as the Commissioner of
the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH). Dr. Baston will assume
the role in August of this year, following the
recently announced upcomin...
DHS Launches Behavioral Health Carve-in Process
July 25, 2023
On July 24th, the Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of
Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) and Division of
Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) hosted a kick-off of
the behavioral health carve-in implementation, which will take
place over th...
Health Commissioner Persichilli Set to Retire Next Month
July 24, 2023
Judith Persichilli, who has served as the New Jersey State Health
Commissioner since August 5, 2019, will retire next month, as
reported by NJ Advance Media, published in the July 21st edition
of The Star Ledger.
Her tenure included supervising New Jersey's response to...
NJAMHAA and Partners Testify on Investment of Opioid Recovery and Remediation Funds
Yesterday, NJAMHAA staff and several partners testified before
the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund Advisory Council,
reinforcing the need for education and increased access to the
full continuum of prevention, harm reduction and treatment
services, as well as a statewide health infor...
Leadership Academy for Behavioral Healthcare Professionals Expands this Critical Workforce
Nationwide, there is an estimated shortage of nearly 4.5 million
behavioral health providers to meet the level of need, according
to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration's (SAMHSA's) Behavioral Health Workforce
Report, 2020. This dearth in the behavioral health wo...
