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Week in NJ - July 14th, 2023
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Unveils Playbook for Governors to Address Nation’s Youth Mental Health Crisis
During the opening session of the National Governors Association (NGA) Annual Meeting, NGA Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy unveiled “Strengthening Youth Mental Health: A Governor’s Playbook.” As Chair of the NGA, Governor Murphy sought to harness the bipartisan efforts and national focus on youth mental health and made “Strengthening Youth Mental Health” the focus of his year-long NGA Chair’s Initiative. To create the Playbook, Governor Murphy brought together 500 stakeholders -- including youth, Governors, and other experts -- at four convenings across the country to discuss the current state of youth mental health systems, best practices, and implementable, impactful solutions for all states.
“America’s youth mental health crisis is a complex issue that transcends both party and geographic lines. Over the past year, we have traveled across the country and spent countless hours meeting with those on the front lines – young people, parents, caregivers, educators, and community leaders – to discuss innovative approaches, thoughtful programs, and effective models for addressing youth mental health,” said Governor Murphy. “Together, these form the basis of our Playbook that states, policymakers, and stakeholders can use to strengthen youth mental health across the country. The pages of this Playbook contain examples of successful policies and initiatives that use this all-hands approach to address youth mental health needs, and it is our hope that more states will implement similar policies to help our youth thrive.”
New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy Unveils “Tackling the Maternal and Infant Health Crisis: A Governor’s Playbook”
In the opening session of the National Governors Association (NGA) Annual Meeting, New Jersey First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy released the “Tackling the Maternal and Infant Health Crisis: A Governor’s Playbook” – a complementary policy roadmap to “Strengthening Youth Mental Health: A Governor’s Playbook,” which NGA Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy unveiled as part of his yearlong NGA Chair’s Initiative. The complementary initiatives brought together close to 500 people in four convenings across the country to advance best practices and implementable, impactful solutions for states.
“As the wealthiest country in the world, every mother and baby across our nation should begin their life together in health, wellness, and joy. But tragically that is not the case,” said First Lady Murphy. “In fact, the United States has the worst rates of maternal mortality among developed countries, and the gap between rates in the U.S. and other high-income countries is only widening.
Governor Murphy Signs Legislation to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Care in K-12 Schools
As part of his efforts to address youth mental health needs both at the state and national levels, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill (A-3334) expanding expenses that New Jersey’s K-12 public schools may be reimbursed for in regards to behavioral health services that are provided to students and their families who are Medicaid recipients.
“It’s undeniable that many young people are facing mental health challenges right now and would benefit from the support of compassionate, trained professionals,” said Governor Murphy. “Through the work of my Administration, in collaboration with local, state, and national partners, we are taking decisive action to address the mental health needs of our youth. By ensuring schools will be reimbursed for the provision of behavioral health care services to students covered by Medicaid, this legislation will advance our ongoing efforts to expand affordability and access to the mental health support New Jersey children need.”
Governor Murphy Signs Legislative Package to Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable for New Jerseyans
As part of the Murphy Administration’s ongoing efforts to advance health care affordability on behalf of the residents of our state, Governor Phil Murphy signed three bills he announced in partnership with legislative sponsors last year to help make prescription drugs more affordable for New Jerseyans. The three bills, which were signed alongside legislators and advocates, will work together to cap certain out-of-pocket costs, establish greater oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and promote transparency across the pharmaceutical supply chain.
“This is a huge step forward in our ongoing efforts to deliver much-needed relief to countless families throughout our state who are struggling to afford critical medications,” said Governor Murphy. “I am proud to sign nation-leading legislation that will make a real difference in the lives of New Jerseyans as we continue to work towards making prescription drugs and other health care services more affordable and accessible to everyone.”
Governor Murphy Signs Bill Eliminating Public Defender Service Fees
In April 2020, First Lady Tammy Murphy launched the “Tammy’s Tremendous Tuesday Tales” series to engage with young students and encourage them to expand their minds and imaginations through the joys of reading. Since then, the First Lady has read over 170 books and counting every Tuesday to her young audience. The series, posted on her social media and watched by thousands of young viewers, emphasizes the voices of diverse authors from New Jersey and around the world and explores different cultures, holidays, experiences, and points of view.
“Reading is an essential skill for young learners to succeed academically,” said First Lady Tammy Murphy. “However, the benefits of reading to young children go far beyond improving language skills and include expanding their imaginations and helping them develop empathy. Highlighting New Jersey’s incredible children’s authors – and revisiting a few of my children’s favorites – has been a pleasure and I look forward to continuing to share these stories and encouraging a lifelong love of reading in our youngest residents.”
“There is no better way to understand the lives and stories of others than by reading,” said Governor Murphy. "Unfortunately, in recent months we have seen an attempt to whitewash and water down our nation's education system to cover up and censor the stories and experiences of others past and present. In New Jersey, we will not hide from our past, but learn from it. We will not suppress people's voices, but amplify them."