URGENT ADVOCACY NEEDED
988 Needs Your Help Now!
In 2020, Congress took an historic step in designating 988 the three-digit number for mental health crisis and suicide prevention. We now have an extraordinary opportunity to build a true crisis standard of care in every community that provides 24/7 Crisis Call Centers, Mobile Crisis Teams, and Crisis Stabilization Programs.

However, success depends on whether our state funds and builds the infrastructure needed to support people in crisis. While 988 will take effect on July 16, 2022, the New Jersey has yet to pass legislation to fund 988.

Tomorrow at 1pm, the NJ Senate Health Committee will hear testimony and vote on S311, which will establish needed funding and infrastructure for 988. We need your voice to move this bill forward.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

  • Submit written testimony to OLSAideSHH@njleg.org today!
  • Or testify in person at the Statehouse Annex in Trenton, NJ in Committee Room 4 on Thursday, February 3rd at 1pm!
  • Below are some points to address in your testimony:
  • Include your name and what community you live in
  • Share your experience accessing crisis care (for you or your loved one), if applicable. What happened, and what went wrong or what went well?
  • What will dialing 988 instead of 911 mean to you or others like you/your family? 
  • How can ensuring that a mobile crisis team response or crisis stabilization programs are available change what happened to you/what will happen to others?
  • Reach out to your local legislators! Tell them to support S311/A2036 when it comes up for a full vote in the Senate and Assembly! Follow this link to locate your district, and identify your representatives. Call and email them the following message:
“My name is (your name) and I am an advocate with NAMI NJ As (a person/family member of a person) with a mental health condition, I am calling to ask (Asm/Asw/Sen) to vote “yes” on S311/A2036. 

Too often, a person in a mental health crisis ends up in the emergency room or involved in the criminal justice system. That’s not acceptable, and this bill gives us an opportunity to change that. S311/A2036 will create a mental health crisis response system to ensure that any person in New Jersey, no matter where they live, has access to crisis care when they need it most. By providing a mental health response to mental health crises, we will help families like mine and our broader community. It’s time we give people the help they need, and this bill will make that possible.

Please vote yes on S311/A2036.”
Meredith Masin Blount
Executive Director

Mark T. Williams
President