Free COVID Tests Available at Covidtests.gov Beginning Sept. 25th
Beginning today, September 25, 2023, any household in the U.S.
can again order four free COVID-19 tests from Covidtests.gov. The
reopening of Covidtests.gov was announced last week by the Biden
Administration, in addition to a $600 million investment across
12 domestic COVID-19 test manuf...
Government Shutdown Looms as Congress Fails to Pass Defense and Government Funding Bills
Yesterday, September 21, 2023, the United States House of
Representatives failed to pass a procedural vote that would have
begun debate on a defense funding bill by a measure of 212 in
favor and 216 opposed. The defense funding bill would have
limited access to abortion services for servi...
Governor Murphy Signs Proclamation Declaring Today, Sept. 20th, Addiction Professionals Day
Addiction Professionals Day, part of National Recovery Month, was
established in 1992 by NAADAC, the Association for Addiction
Professionals, to show appreciation for the important work of
addiction professionals who provide clinical counseling and
support to those affected by substance u...
CMS to Establish MFTs and MH Counselors as Medicare Provider Types, Jan. 1st
September 19, 2023
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has
announced that, as directed in the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2023, a new Medicare benefit category will be established
for Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) and Mental Health
Counselors (MHCs) for s...
Governor Murphy Signs Proclamation Declaring Sept. 10th – 16th as Suicide Prevention Week
This week, September 10 through 16, 2023, is observed as Suicide
Prevention Week, taking place within National Recovery Month. New
Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed a
proclamation officially declaring Sept. 10 - 16,
2023, as Suicide Prevention Week.
In the Governor's proclamatio...
Tahesha Way Sworn in as New Jersey’s Lieutenant Governor
September 12, 2023
On Friday, September 8, 2023, Governor Phil Murphy swore in New
Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha L. Way, JD, as Lieutenant
Governor of New Jersey, just over a month after the passing of
Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver. Way's appointment became
effective immediate...
New Poll Finds in NJ, Young People’s Mental Health Most Negatively Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic
September 11, 2023
On September 7, 2023, Stockton University's William J. Hughes
Center for Public Policy published research analyzing the
wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on New Jersey
residents' mental health, treatment, and outcomes, involving
numerous mental health is...
COVID Cases Rise across the Country with New Highly Mutated “Pirola” Variant Identified
September 7, 2023
In the week of August 20 to August 26, 2023, COVID-19
hospitalizations across the U.S. have increased by 15.7% compared
to the prior week , with a 17.6% increase in COVID-19 deaths
across the same time, according to
data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Pr...
Biden-Harris Administration Announces First Ten Drugs Selected for Medicare Price Negotiation
August 31, 2023
As signed into law under the Inflation Reduction Act,
over the next four years, Medicaid will negotiate prices
for up to 60 drugs covered under Medicare Part D and Part
B, and up to an additional 20 drugs every year...
SAMHSA’s HHRC Shares Fact Sheet on Xylazine Basics, Overdose Prevention, Harm Reduction, Wound Care
August 29, 2023
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's
(SAMHSA's) Homeless & Housing Resource Center (HHRC) has
shared a fact sheet on Xylazine basics, providing information on
overdose prevention, harm reduction, wound care, and more
Xylazine, also know...
CVS Health Foundation Calls for Applications for Centering Youth Mental Health Initiative
August 24, 2023
The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) has
shared a notice of the CVS Health Foundation issuing a call for
applications for its 2023 Centering Youth Mental Health grant
program.
The Centering Youth Mental Health grant program is a multi-year
phila...
NJHMFA and Monarch Housing Associates Publish 2023 Point-in-Time Homelessness Count for NJ
NJCounts is the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of individuals
and families experiencing homelessness in New Jersey, required by
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
directed by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
(NJHMFA), and managed by Monarch Hou...
NJ DHS Launches StopOverdoses.nj.gov
August 10, 2023
On Wednesday, August 7, 2023, New Jersey Department of Human
Services (DHS) Commissioner Sarah Adelman announced the launch of
StopOverdoses.nj.gov, a resource for New Jersey
residents to locate pharmacies providing naloxone, the opioid
overdose reversal agent, free...
U.S. DOL Sues UnitedHealth Group over Improper Claims Denials
August 3, 2023
On Monday, July 31, 2023, the United States Department of Labor
(DOL) initiated a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, alleging
that the healthcare provider improperly denied thousands of
patients' payments for emergency room services and urinary drug
screenings.
The...
Gov. Murphy Announces Dr. Kaitlan Baston as New Department of Health Commissioner
July 27, 2023
On July 25, 2023, Governor Phil Murphy announced his intention to
nominate Kaitlan Baston, MD, MSc, DFASAM, as the Commissioner of
the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH). Dr. Baston will assume
the role in August of this year, following the
recently announced upcomin...
