Democrat, Yesterday evening, NJDSC’s South Asian American, AANHPI, Hindu, and Muslim Caucuses celebrated AAPI Heritage Month in Hackensack with special guest Assemblywoman Ellen Park, the first Korean woman elected to the NJ Assembly! |
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This week we also dropped the third video in our "Get to Know Chairman Jones," series! Check out Part 3, filmed at the DNC Winter Meeting earlier this year, where you get to meet my wife Jackie and hear what being NJDSC Chairman means to me. |
Governor Murphy was in Philadelphia on Thursday as Chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) for a roundtable discussion on the mental health crisis among our youth. New Jersey has been leading the way around the country on mental health legislation and policies. Governor Murphy recently signed a bill to permit mental and behavioral health care providers to operate within emergency shelters that serve people experiencing homelessness as part of the State’s ongoing efforts to address the mental health needs of its residents.
“The stress individuals often face when experiencing homelessness can unfortunately lead to or exacerbate existing mental health challenges,” said Governor Murphy. “This law reflects my Administration’s belief that every New Jerseyan deserves access to the mental health care they need and builds upon our work to expand these services throughout our state. Allowing mental and behavioral health care providers to offer critical services within shelters will provide much-needed care directly to more New Jerseyans.”
Under the new law, licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage/family therapists, substance use disorder treatment providers and other practitioners otherwise authorized to provide mental or behavioral health care are allowed to provide services to individuals in these settings on a part-time or full-time basis, in addition to emergency circumstances. The services must also be provided at a location within the shelter that offers privacy for the residents receiving this care.
One of the things that makes me proudest to be a Democrat in New Jersey is the commitment to not leaving any person behind. Action like this is proof that we can come together and compassionately legislate and I am glad that Governor Murphy continues to make addressing mental health a cornerstone of his administration's agenda. |
Throughout the month of May, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee will celebrate both Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month with a weekly spotlight on trailblazing leaders throughout the state. This week we are proud to highlight our South Asian American Caucus Co-Chairs, Nidhi Makhija and Toral Patel. |
Nidhi Makhija is a 15 year New Jersey resident who has served on NJDSC’s SAAC executive committee since 2019 and is the current Co-Chair. In this role she envisions bringing South Asian voices to mainstream politics and improving the overall civic engagement within the 400,000 strong South Asian community in NJ.
Nidhi is an elected district representative for Somerset County. She was appointed by the county on the Board of Trustees of Raritan Valley Community College of NJ, the largest community college of NJ and is a promoter of arts and culture among the youth, actively organizing talent programs showcasing the diverse arts forms in her community. Throughout the recent mental health crisis of 2020, she was trained in Meditation and Yoga, and has been working with NGOs to promote programs for children and adults for combating depression & anxiety. She is the proud recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Service Award ’19.
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Toral Patel is a proud second-generation Indian American born and raised in New Jersey. Her civic engagement and involvement in local, state and federal politics is 20 years strong. As the Deputy Director of Ethnic & Minority Affairs under Governor James E. McGreevey, she built the newly created office dedicated to harnessing the strengths, needs and ideas of the diverse communities across the Garden State and was able to connect often underserved and often overlooked communities to elected officials, relevant resources and empower them to play a more active role in the political process.
Over the years, she has leveraged her grassroots advocacy and political skills to add value to the political system by running and actively supporting campaigns, educating and empowering underserved and new communities on the political process, promoting civic involvement, and mentoring the next generation of civic leaders. She has been recognized for her service and commitment as one of the first AAPI community leaders to be honored by the Essex County Board of Commissioners during their inaugural Annual AAPI Heritage Month award celebration and recently being honored as a 2023 Women of Impact in her community of Verona.
Make sure you keep up on what NJDSC’s South Asian American Caucus is doing on Facebook. Additionally, if you are interested in getting involved with the SAAC Caucus or any other caucuses, you can sign up here. |
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Thursday, May 18 was Mental Health Day of Action, and throughout May, Mental Health Awareness Month, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing additional critical actions to advance the President’s mental health strategy across three key objectives: strengthening the mental health workforce and system capacity, connecting more Americans to care, and creating a continuum of support. Among others, the actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking this month to address mental health in America include:
- Increasing the size and diversity of the behavioral health workforce.
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Expanding access to peer workers, which is someone with lived experience with a mental health and/or substance use condition, and who works with other people with similar conditions in a wide range of non-clinical activities including advocacy, sharing of experience, social support, and more.
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Making it easier to find help by launching FindSupport.Gov, a new and free online resource for all Americans to learn how to get support for mental health, drug, and alcohol issues.
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Supporting the mental health of workers by addressing workplace mental health, including the launch of a DOL Mental Health at Work Initiative to promote key resources in support employees and employers and OSHA Workplace Stress Toolkit to provide guidance and tips for employers, training resources, and outreach materials to reduce stress and burnout among workers.
- Improving suicide prevention efforts by scaling up the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and enhancing crisis response to ensure adults and youth experiencing mental health crises in high-need communities receive faster access to trained mental health professionals.
The Biden-Harris administration has continued to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to addressing the mental health needs of the American people. By making critical investments in strengthening access to and the quality of care available, they have taken significant strides in improving the lives of countless individuals. Recognizing the profound impact of mental health on overall well-being, they have prioritized this issue and worked tirelessly to break down barriers to care. Their initiatives have not only increased funding for mental health services but have also promoted awareness, reduced stigma, and expanded the range of treatment options. Through their compassionate leadership, the Biden-Harris administration has made remarkable progress in ensuring that all Americans have the support they need to achieve mental wellness.
The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7 confidential support to Americans in crisis. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org if you or someone you know needs support. — Chairman LeRoy J. Jones, Jr.
P.S. Tickets are on sale for our 2023 NJDSC Conference! Join us for one or more events as we road trip across the state on June 8-10! We will meet and network with other Democrats from across New Jersey as we prepare for the 2023 election season. |
Tickets for the conference are $75 and include access to all events. After you purchase your ticket, you MUST RSVP for every event you wish to attend. Some events have limited capacity.
Find more info and purchase tickets here!
P.S.S. NJDSC’s three-week training program “Building Our Future” in June is still accepting applications! It is the perfect opportunity for Democratic candidates, political staffers, and any Democrat who wants to receive in-depth training on running a campaign. The sessions are designed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to run effective campaigns and make a positive impact in their communities. Attendees will learn about every major area of politics and campaigning–from finance and fundraising to communications and field.
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Spots are limited. If you are interested in participating in this training program, please apply by May 31st. |
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