New Jersey's System of Care

Hello, World.

Troubling times for the country (when is that not true), especially now. I've been incredibly disappointed that some I know have been adamant that the attempted assassination of our former president was staged. Even if they eventually come around to the truth, I don't believe I can ever hold their opinions in confidence. In any case, each additional detail that comes out seems to make the situation more confusing.

With that out of the way, I recently learned of New Jersey's System of Care for Children that gives me hope for replication in other states. While most states direct medicaid and medicare dollars toward residential facilities, New Jersey has focused on community and home-based care to greater success. According to this Times piece, "New Jersey’s approach cut the use of residential care nearly in half between 2016 and 2023, while closing 10 juvenile detention centers and improving stability in foster care. The state has long had one of the lowest youth suicide rates in the country."

With Arizona being a top-10 state for teen suicide, it is essential to implement programs that have been shown to be successful elsewhere. Inpatient/residential care can be traumatizing and has done more harm than good. The fact of the matter is, not all need it - it may be the only option in someone's region. I believe community-based solutions should always be explored first. Anecdotally, someone I used to play baseball with in high school was sent to an out-of-state wilderness therapy program. He was "abducted" by men in the middle of the night with the permission of his parents and driven out of state where he was not heard from for six months. He was kept there until he turned 18, and never returned to our community again. While I am not sure where he is these days (I hope he is alive and well), when we would receive those occasional updates, it was clear that they were not helping him any. New Jersey places many regulations on residential/inpatient care, which I would like to see nationwide to prevent abusive and hurtful programs from affecting our youth.

That's all for today. Stay safe