URGENT ADVOCACY NEEDED
Crucial Senate Hearing for 988
Congress took an historic step in designating 988 the three-digit number for mental health crisis and suicide prevention by July 16, 2022. We now have an extraordinary opportunity to build a true crisis standard of care in every community that provides 24/7 Local Crisis Call Centers, Mobile Crisis Teams, and Crisis Stabilization Programs.

The Senate and Assembly Health Committees recently advanced legislation (S311/A2036) that would establish a framework for the 988 crisis system. Now we need the Senate Budget & Appropriations and the Assembly Appropriations Committees to act.

Monday, June 6th at 1:00pm, the NJ Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee will hear testimony and vote on S311. We need your voice to move this bill forward.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

  • Submit written testimony to OLSAideSBA@njleg.org!
  • Or testify in person at the Statehouse Annex in Trenton, NJ in Committee Room 4, 1st Floor on Monday, June 7th at 1pm! If testifying in person, please keep your comments brief.
  • 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 send a message to your local legislators or look up your legislators here 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