New Jersey § 26:2mm-5

§ 26:2mm-5.

The Legislature finds and declares that: a. The current health care system in New Jersey does not always fully address the

specific needs of people with behavioral health issues, including mental health conditions

and substance use disorders. b. Frequently, people with behavioral health issues are compelled to access care through

primary care providers or hospital emergency departments, neither of which are typically

equipped to handle the specialized care needed by people with behavioral health issues. Often, people are discharged from these treatment settings without receiving the

care or referrals to services needed to treat the individual's particular behavioral

health condition. c. Similarly, law enforcement are frequently called upon to respond to acute behavioral

health crises. In many cases, the responding law enforcement officers do not possess the specialized

training needed to respond to an acute behavioral health crisis, and so are not equipped

to adequately assess the situation, de-escalate and resolve the immediate crisis,

and access appropriate behavioral health care services. d. Historically, the lack of a comprehensive behavioral health crisis response system

has placed marginalized communities, including those experiencing mental health crises,

at disproportionate risk of poor outcomes. e. When a behavioral health condition is not appropriately treated by a qualified

behavioral health specialist, the condition may worsen over time. In some cases, such as with an individual who has a substance use disorder, the

longer the person goes without appropriate treatment, the greater the risk the person

will experience a fatal overdose, contract a bloodborne virus and other communicable

diseases, or experience other adverse health consequences resulting from the person's

continuing substance use. In cases involving a person experiencing suicide ideation, the longer the person

goes without treatment, the greater the risk the person will engage in self-harm. f. Additionally, untreated behavioral health conditions can significantly detract

from the quality of life of the person with the behavioral health condition and the

person's family and friends, who frequently feel helpless watching a loved one struggle

with the burdens of an untreated mental health condition or substance use disorder. g. Steps have been taken at both the State and federal level to better meet the needs

of people with behavioral health conditions. At the federal level, the “National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020,” Pub.L.116-172 , and rules adopted by the Federal Communication Commission's on July 16, 2020 take

steps to improve access to crisis resources through a dedicated hotline, similar to

9-1-1, specific to behavioral health crises. At the State level, New Jersey has taken steps to improve access to behavioral health

care by streamlining the process for dual licensure for primary and behavioral health

care providers, issuing licenses for additional treatment beds, promoting measures

to improve access to substance use disorder treatment and support services, and working

to expand ready access to behavioral health treatment providers for all New Jerseyans. h. It is now necessary for New Jersey to take the steps required to implement the

new national behavioral health crisis hotline in this State. i. It is the intent of the Legislature to support the operations of the national behavioral

health crisis hotline in the State, and foster improved behavioral health treatment

resources, through the establishment of a comprehensive Statewide mobile behavioral

health crisis response system, the goals of which will be: improving access to, and

the quality of, behavioral health crisis services through, among other measures, a

“no wrong door” model of access; reducing the stigma associated with suicide, mental

health conditions, and substance use disorders; improving equity in diagnosing and

treating mental health conditions and substance use disorders; promoting equity in

services for all individuals, regardless of cultural background, race, age, ethnicity,

gender, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation; promoting full access to behavioral

health care services across rural, urban, and tribal communities; and ensuring a

culturally and linguistically competent response to behavioral health crises.