Advocacy E-news May 6, 2019
May 6, 2019
RECOVERY FROM MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IS POSSIBLE, ADVOCATES SAY
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The National Alliance on Mental Health in New Jersey, a statewide nonprofit group, is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and their families affected with mental illness. NAMNJ’s Associate Director, Phil Lubitz, said there is a very simple message the organization wants to get out to the public this year: Mental health illnesses are just like any other illnesses. Mental illnesses are treatable and people do often recover.
NJ HEALTH COMMISSIONER LEAVES TO BECOME UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL PRESIDENT
State Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal was named Wednesday the new president and CEO of University Hospital in Newark. During his time at the Dept. of Health the Department had taken over the operation of New Jersey’s four state psychiatric hospitals.
See the Northjersey.com report
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE BILLS FOR THE HOMELESS BECOME LAW
Governor Phil Murphy has signed into law to help the homeless and those threatened with homelessness. The law, S-3586, will extend emergency assistance for those who are “living on the edge” including those suffering from abuse, addiction and mental illness to help with basic living necessities such as food, housing and utilities. A companion measure will create a new Office of Homelessness Prevention.
PEDIATRICIAN DESCRIBES LAPSES IN MEDICAL CARE FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN IN NEW JERSEY SHELTERS
For months, she’d been noticing a lax attitude about the medical needs of children at the federally funded immigrant youth shelters run by the Center for Family Services, a nonprofit based in Camden. In New Jersey, child welfare officials, who normally oversee facilities with children, are prevented by statute from inspecting the immigrant youth shelters. The American Academy of Pediatrics has expressed serious concern about the mental health consequences of detaining children, noting that even short periods can cause psychological trauma and carry lifelong consequences.
FOR CHILDREN, DEPRESSION INCREASES HOSPITAL USE AND MORTALITY
Children with depression admitted to the hospital for other illnesses like pneumonia, appendicitis or seizure disorders, stay longer, pay more and are at greater risk of death, a Rutgers New Jersey Medical School study finds. The study, which appears in the Journal of Affective Disorders, may be the first to look specifically at children diagnosed with depression and another illness, how the care is being provided and coordinated, and the number of children who die while hospitalized.
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