$8.2M grant to establish Bergen County mental health services network

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families has chosen Children’s Aid and Family Services (CAFS) to establish a network of prevention and clinical services for Bergen County students and their families in support of the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) initiative.

Funded by a two-year, $8.2 million NJ DCF grant, NJ4S Bergen’s mission will be to make prevention and clinical services easily accessible – and equitable – to more than 133,000 students in all 79 of the county’s school districts, according to a July 6 announcement.

Paramus-based CAFS will oversee the prevention aspects of the program, while CarePlus NJ, also headquartered in Paramus, will oversee clinical services. NJ4S Bergen will bring together CBH Care, Vantage Health System and West Bergen Mental Healthcare.

“A youth mental health crisis of the magnitude we’re currently experiencing requires a comprehensive range of support services coupled with a robust delivery model to ensure we reach all students, especially those with the greatest need, which is why we formed NJ4S Bergen,” CAFS President and CEO Shavonda Sumter said in a statement. Sumter also serves as the representative of the 35th District in the New Jersey General Assembly.

According to Bergen County’s 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment, mental health was described as a “major problem” by 67.2% of respondents.

Brigitte Johnson, president and CEO of CarePlus NJ, said the organization looked forward to the collaboration “to address this crisis and ensure every youth in Bergen County has access to compassionate, culturally-competent care within their communities.”

NJ4S Bergen will establish a hub-and-spoke infrastructure to expand access to services and support throughout Bergen County.

Staffed by health care professionals, NJ4S will be led by an advisory board made up of students, parents, community leaders, educators, faith-based leaders and others. Among the board’s tasks will be to identify preventative services that will be available through every school in Bergen County, as well as libraries, places of worship and other community spaces. Those interested in joining the advisory board may email Le’Var Starr, director NJ4S Bergen Hub, at [email protected].

In June, Valley Health System and nonprofit organization Christian Health unveiled the Valeridge Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness, located on The Valley Hospital’s Ridgewood campus, which also was launched to help address the mental health crisis in Bergen County.

After 45 years, CarePlus NJ leader to retire

Joe Masciandaro, founder, president and CEO of CarePlus NJ since 1978, will retire from the organization. — Masciandaro

CarePlus NJ founder Joe Masciandaro, who has served as president and CEO of the Paramus-based health care organization since 1978, is retiring, the company announced Nov. 29.

Brigitte Johnson will serve as the new president and CEO, effective Jan. 2, 2023.

An integrated primary and behavioral health service for adults and children, CarePlus NJ provides more than 72 programs that address primary care, mental health care, substance abuse treatment and access to social support services.

During his tenure, Masciandaro – a 2020 NJBIZ ICON – helped CarePlus achieve several industry designations, most recently as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. He also was instrumental in the creation of Care Plus Bergen, the management entity of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.

“For 45 years, Joe has been a tireless mental health advocate, a political force and an exceptional leader. The values he instilled when founding CarePlus NJ in 1978 will continue to guide the organization for decades to come,” Jeremy Piccini, chair of the board of trustees, said in a statement.

Brigitte Johnson will serve as the new president and CEO of CarePlus NJ, effective Jan. 2, 2023. — Johnson

After a national search, the organization selected Johnson to succeed Masciandaro. She joined CarePlus as director in 1998 and has since served as vice president, senior vice president and executive senior vice president of corporate affairs, her current role.

Johnson’s responsibilities have included financial, budgetary, employee relations, expansion, development and compliance. As in-house counsel, she also manages all legal affairs for the company, including overseeing the three nonprofit subsidiary corporate entities of CarePlus NJ.

In 2017, Johnson served as lead counsel in the formation of the separate 501(c)(3), Care Plus Bergen, for its bid and contract negotiation to manage the former Bergen Regional Medical Center, now known as Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.

Additionally, she is executive director of Care Plus Workforce Solutions Inc., a nonprofit subsidiary of CarePlus NJ that provides employment and training opportunities for the disabled and economically disadvantaged. An organization she has grown from an annual gross revenue of $15,000 to $6 million, according to CarePlus.

“Throughout her tenure with our organization, Brigitte has distinguished herself as a leader excelling in a variety of roles and demonstrated her relentless passion and ability to provide strategic counsel in complex situations,” Masciandaro said. “With her guidance we have been able to enhance and expand our delivery of mental health and addiction treatment services and emerge from the pandemic even stronger.”

A graduate of Howard University School of Law and Virginia State University, Johnson serves on the boards of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing as chair of its nominating committee. She also serves on the boards of the New Jersey Mental Health Institute, Executive Committee of ACCSES-NJ and the Board of Bergen County Workforce Investment.

Johnson, who called Masciandaro “a mentor,” said the appointment was “an honor and a privilege.”

“Throughout my longstanding career at CarePlus NJ, I’ve been deeply committed to our organization’s mission and look forward to continuing to build upon it and positively impact the lives of the individuals we serve in our communities,” she added.

CarePlus NJ gets $525K from NJDOL for Pathways to Recovery program

CarePlus NJ Inc. was awarded a one-year $525,000 New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development grant to launch Pathways to Recovery, a program for adults impacted by the opioid epidemic in northern New Jersey.

CarePlus NJ’s PTR Program will expand NJDOLWD’s statewide Pathways to Recovery Initiative in Bergen County by providing occupational services, vocational services, mental health care, and substance abuse services.

NJDOLWD’s Pathways to Recovery Initiative aims to provide employment assistance to individuals with a history of opioid use or those with friends or family with a history of opioid use. Several New Jersey counties already offer their own Pathways to Recovery programs, including Atlantic, Camden, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Passaic and Union.

In its Bergen County expansion of the program, CarePlus NJ will enroll 100 participants and provide assessments, registration, individual employment plans, and career and training services with a goal for 80% of employees to be placed into unsubsidized employment, and of those placed, for 60% to retain employment for a minimum of 90 days.

“Several factors can make it difficult for individuals impacted by the opioid crisis to re-enter the workforce, including gaps in employment, limited professional experience, and other barriers such as lack of transportation, child care services and housing,” said CarePlus NJ Associate Vice President of Work Incentive Services Giesel Girona-Ussery. “Our Pathways to Recovery Program will provide adults affected by the opioid epidemic with the vocational training, career resources and supportive services they need to achieve competitive employment outcomes as well as wraparound access to addiction recovery services and mental health care to sustain their recovery and promote mental wellness.”

CarePlus NJ PTR employment specialists will evaluate individuals for program eligibility on a case-by-case basis, and then conduct an employability assessment to determine which services they need to remove barriers to self-sufficiency. Such services include transportation assistance, child care services, legal assistance, housing services, wraparound mental health care, and substance use disorder recovery services.

Grant funding will be allocated to train individuals in ways to increase marketable job skills and lead them toward long-term career paths. Participants interested in careers in recovery services can engage in the Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor coursework and/or the Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Certification, which CarePlus NJ already offers.

Those interested in CarePlus NJ’s Pathways to Recovery Program should call 201-265-8200, ext. 5538 or email [email protected].

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