In a letter to US. Rep. Frank Pallone this week, NJBIA Chief Government Affairs Officer Chrissy Buteas urged support for the bipartisan Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act of 2021.
The Excellence Act would allow Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) in New Jersey to receive funding to expand high-quality mental health and substance use services.
Buteas also wrote it would also give much needed financial certainty to existing CCBHCs operating in New Jersey.
“CCBHCs have dramatically increased access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment for the people of New Jersey,” Buteas said. “In doing so, they have expanded our states’ capacity to address the suicide and overdose crisis and established innovative partnerships with law enforcement, schools and hospitals to improve care, reduce recidivism and prevent hospital readmissions.
“NJBIA is an advocate for expanding access to mental health and addiction treatment services. The recent COVID pandemic and ongoing health crisis it produced has brought the mental health needs of employees in the workforce to the forefront.”
There are currently 15 CCBHCs in New Jersey, with five more coming online due to recent grant awards.
To read Buteas’ full letter, click here.
