Summary. The North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI) is proposing a program to to improve and expand access to developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate services and supports for transition-aged youth and young adults (ages 16-25) who either have, or are at risk for developing, serious mental health conditions in Essex County, NJ. NJCRI will serve 250 unduplicated individuals annually with grant funds and 1,250 over the project period.
Project name. Essex County Healthy Transitions Program
Populations to be served. NJCRI’s population of focus (POF) transition-aged youth and young adults (ages 16-25) who are at risk for a serious emotional disturbance (SED) or serious mental illness (SMI). The catchment area where services will be delivered is Essex County, NJ, which includes Newark.
Strategies/interventions. NJCRI’s program activities will include: 1) develop a plan to establish a collaborative partnership between the Essex County and the State of New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services; 2) conduct a needs assessment of Essex County to identify available resources; 3) develop and implement a training plan for mental health professionals; 4) develop an Intra-agency agreement within NJ DMHAS’s youth and adult mental health services divisions; 5) implement suicide prevention and intervention approaches; 6) develop and implement a plan that includes outreach, screenings, services, referrals, and recovery support services; 7) establish an advisory council across child and adult serving systems; 8) develop and implement a plan that coordinates and aligns funding streams and leverages third party funding; 9) develop and implement a culturally and linguistically appropriate social marketing/communication strategic plan; 10) collaborate with other federal programs and/or interagency teams serving youth or young adults with SED/SMI; 11) implement trauma- and grief-informed programs and practices; 12) provide trauma-informed mental health services; 13) provide training on behavioral health implementation for CLAS standards; 14) provide activities that address behavioral health disparities and the social determinants of health; 15) implement efforts to expand diversity equity, inclusion, and accessibility; 16) use data to understand who is served and disproportionately served; and 17) develop and implement outreach and referral pathways. NJCRI will provide 2 EBPs: Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Project goals and measurable objectives. The program’s goal is to improve and expand access to developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate services and supports for transition-aged youth and young adults (ages 16-25) who either have, or are at risk for developing, serious mental health conditions. Objectives include: 1) Develop a plan to establish a collaborative relationship with the NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Essex County; 2) conduct a needs assessment to identify available resources, resource gaps, training needs, opportunities, and barriers; 3) develop and implement a training plan for mental health professionals; 4) develop an Intra-agency Agreement (IAA); 5) implement suicide prevention and intervention approaches; 6) develop and implement a plan to address strategic and direct one-to-one outreach; 7) develop and implement a plan to implement evidence-based screening and assessment tools; 8) implement evidence-based and informed services targeted for at least 250 transition-aged youth and young adults; 9) develop referral pathways to needed treatment services and supports and the mechanisms to track that referrals; 10) implement recovery support services; 11) establish an advisory council of at least 25 members; 12) develop and implement a plan that coordinates and aligns funding streams; 13) develop and implement a culturally and linguistically appropriate social marketing/communication strategic plan.