Advocacy E-News November 2, 2017
November 2, 2017
NAMI NJ’S ROCKY SCHWARTZ TESTIFIES BEFORE THE PRESIDENT’S COMMISSION ON COMBATING DRUG ADDICTION AND THE OPIOID CRISIS
At the commission’s final meeting on Wednesday several people spoke in strikingly personal terms about their own families’ experiences. Among them was Roxanne Schwartz of Lebanon, N.J., who told the commission how she and her family managed to gain treatment for her son’s addiction to opioids only to spend $300,000 and hundreds of hours appealing insurance claim denials.
Watch Rocky Schwartz’s testimony
HOW SHOULD WE FIGHT THE OPIOID CRISIS? A WHITE HOUSE COMMISSION OFFERED THESE 56 STRATEGIES
The Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday that in order to fight the opioid crisis, the country should increase federal funding and addiction prevention programs, expand federal drug courts and devise new law enforcement strategies to reduce opioid supply, according to a final report it sent to the White House.
PRINCIPAL RESPONDS TO STUDENT’S SUICIDE. THE RESULT IS POWERFUL
A mental health illness isn’t as obvious as a physical ailment, but that doesn’t make it any less serious and can mean it’s much more dangerous. That’s the message St. Gregory the Great Academy Principal Jason Briggs delivered to his school in a powerful letter that was shared online following the death of a college freshman whose body was found earlier this week. He went on to say that certain people’s brains are predisposed to certain mental states, mental illnesses and afflictions are still often shrouded in secrecy and shame, and those who deal with such afflictions are often stigmatized.
NEW JERSEY’S 1ST ‘SAFE HAVEN’ HOMELESS SHELTER OPENS
It’s taken six years to realize the dream of opening New Jersey’s first HUD “Safe Haven” model development in Newark. But with the grand opening of “A Better Life,” an $8 million supportive housing facility for the chronically homeless, the project’s stakeholders hope that a brave new precedent is being set in Essex County. The facility includes “24/7 supervision” and supportive services for its residents, chronically homeless individuals, many who suffer from mental illness, according to the project’s developer, New Community Corporation.
FAITH LEADERS ARE VITAL LINK IN THE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT CHAIN
Mental health professionals and South Jersey faith leaders attended the National Alliance on Mental Illness Atlantic-Cape May chapter chapter’s Clergy Connection Seminar on Oct. 18. The event aimed to provide community leaders with education and resources they can use when helping individuals or families with mental health issues and co-occurring substance use disorders.
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