May 2025

The Arc of New Jersey Health Care Advocacy Program promotes quality health care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) throughout New Jersey.



May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

NJ Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Take Action to Protect Medicaid!

Tell Congress: Medicaid Is a Lifeline for People With Disabilities!

Right now, Congress is making big decisions about our nation’s priorities and how to pay for them. They are voting on policies that will take away funding from Medicaid health care and services - services that people with disabilities rely on.



If Medicaid is cut, millions of lives will be deeply impacted.

Click below to contact your members of Congress and share your story!

And click here to see a fact sheet from The Arc of the United States that emphasizes how potential cuts to Medicaid would impact people with disabilities.

Health Care Advocacy Spring Webinar Series:

Promoting Health and Wellness for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

Webinar #3:

"Understanding Behavior Change and Mental Health in IDD "

Thursday, May 22nd

12:00pm - 1:30pm

This webinar is designed for family members, care partners, direct support professionals, and others to better understand the causes of behavior changes in people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). Learn the risk factors and indicators of potential mental health conditions, common signs and symptoms, and strategies to address unmet needs and promote overall well-being.

Autism New Jersey Seeking Community Input:

Help Healthcare Implement Autism-Friendly Practices

Autism NJ is finishing their new self-assessment and quality improvement tool, designed for healthcare providers.

But they need your thoughts before it’s shared with healthcare leaders. Their survey will be open until May 31. Learn more and submit your feedback.

A Guide to Medicaid Advocacy

The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development has developed a guide to advocating for Medicaid by sharing your story. Given the potential threats to Medicaid under consideration by Congress, now is important than ever to contact your legislators and emphasize the importance of Medicaid to you and your family!

The guide is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Gujarati, Japanese, Portuguese, and Tagalog, and provides information about how Medicaid works and commonly proposed threats, along with tips, and a worksheet to plan advocacy messages.

Click the image above!

DHS Launches 988 Mobile Crisis

Outreach Response Teams

On April 17^th, the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the 988 Mobile Crisis Outreach Response Teams (MCORTs). MCORTs are a voluntary service available statewide to individuals ages 18 years and older in non-life-threatening situations who have contacted the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. MCORTs respond to non-life-threatening mental health, substance use, and suicidal crises without law enforcement or other emergency personnel, when it is safe to do so. They work in coordination with the State’s 988 Lifeline centers and are dispatched when a 988 Crisis Counselor assesses that community outreach would be helpful and the person calling 988 is interested in such services for themselves or a loved one.

Read the full press release in ENGLISH and SPANISH

Medicaid for Individuals with IDD in New Jersey

See our new fact sheet which explains how Medicaid provides comprehensive health coverage and access to critical services and supports for individuals with IDD in New Jersey. Click here to access the guide.

Virtual Office Hours

The Health Care Advocacy Program offers virtual office hours on Mondays, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm!

Meet with the Director of Health Care Advocacy to discuss any healthcare questions or concerns, for example, regarding Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security, as they affect your family member or loved one with IDD.

Appointment slots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and may be limited to 20 minutes, as needed, to accommodate more people.

Click here to see each day's information and resources!

The Arc of New Jersey Health Care Advocacy

healthcareadvocacy@arcnj.org

732-246-2567

www.thearcnjhealthcareadvocacy.org