N.J. Admin. Code § 10:37B-4.4

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 8, April 15, 2024

Section 10:37B-4.4 - Other services

(a) Consumers shall have access to on-call staff 24 hours per day, seven days per week for times of stress and crisis.

(b) At a minimum, the PA shall offer and make available or arrange for the following services when they are included in the consumer's individualized rehabilitation plan:

1. Housing search assistance, including assisting the consumer in: locating housing opportunities, taking into consideration the consumer's housing preferences, experiences, household management strengths and weaknesses, financial responsibilities and long-term housing goals; meeting housing eligibility requirements and requesting reasonable accommodations, lease negotiations, saving for or obtaining security deposits, furnishing the home, and/or accessing household supplies;

2. Assist the consumer in setting up utility accounts and identifying natural supports to develop and carry out a move-in plan;

3. Assist the consumer and natural supports to set up and decorate their new home, help the consumer to become familiar with the local community resources, accessing transportation services, and locating resources, such as the supermarket, bank, library, post office, and pharmacy;

4. Establish relationships with landlords, provide contact information, assist consumers in developing skills to identify tenancy issues and resolve them where possible, and encourage landlords and consumers to bring unresolved problems to the attention of the PA for resolution before considering termination or eviction;

5. Develop a plan to help the consumer manage their mental health and healthcare, monitor their symptoms, track early warning signs, develop coping skills, and prepare a plan to prevent or minimize a relapse or worsening of health conditions;

6. Observe the consumer's symptoms, help the consumer manage symptoms not reduced with medication, and assist the consumer to adapt and cope with internal and external stresses;

7. Assist consumers in advocating for themselves regarding health care and medication concerns and act as a liaison to clinical service providers;

8. Provide training and support in all areas concerned with the consumer's finances, including weekly/monthly budgeting, establishing bank accounts, balancing checkbooks, looking for sales, using coupons and rebate offers, avoiding impulse buys, responding to telemarketing or mail "schemes," establishing a savings plan designed for emergencies, and enhancing self-sufficiency;

9. When a substance use problem is identified, help consumers identify triggers for relapse and focus on a lifestyle centered on recovery; refer to co-occurring mental health and substance abuse treatment and substance use disorder treatment services and recovery support resources, including medication assisted treatment as appropriate;

10. Educate the consumer on the interactive effects of substance use on psychiatric symptoms, psychiatric and other medications, and social behavior;

11. Share self-help recovery and local co-occurring recovery group meeting lists with consumers and accompany to local groups and/or meetings in order to encourage attendance;

12. Encourage an alcohol and substance free-living environment in shared living arrangements;

13. Provide coaching in the use of Medicaid taxi service, carpools, buses, trains, etc., and help consumers obtain access to low-cost transportation resources, if available;

14. Assist with reading maps, reading bus/train schedules, locating bus stops/train stations, etc.;

15. Assist consumers to identify and access low-cost methods of transportation, for example, saving for a bicycle;

16. Where all other transportation options have been exhausted, provide direct transportation in an agency vehicle for appointments, shopping, and education courses;

17. Assist consumers to develop a support network other than of professionals, which may include neighbors, family, friends, co-workers, clergy or members of religious institutions, spiritual advisors, shopkeepers, etc.;

18. Explore with the consumer opportunities for social networks (including exploring social organizations, recreational groups, or places of worship or spiritual practice) and coach the consumer to strengthen these connections;

19. Education and training on relapse identification, prevention, and the promotion of recovery;

20. Development of a comprehensive relapse prevention plan that offers skills training and individualized support focused on self-management of mental illness and other aspects of recovery;

21. Co-occurring disorder education, which provides basic information to consumers, family members, or other significant individuals on the nature and impact of substance usage and how it relates to the symptoms, experiences, and treatment of consumers with co-occurring disorders;

22. Medication assistance, in accordance with the following:

i. Consumers shall be provided with pertinent information regarding medication effectiveness, medication side-effects, and safety in order to make informed decisions regarding medication issues;

ii. PA staff shall assist and support consumers in adhering to their medication regimes, and where appropriate, shall implement interventions, such as those described in (a)9 through 12 above; and

iii. Consumer family members shall be invited to participate in consumer medication efforts where appropriate, and in accordance with State and Federal confidentiality laws;

23. Linkages to legal assistance;

24. Crisis intervention, consisting of face-to-face, short-term interventions with a consumer who is experiencing increased distress and/or an active state of crisis. Interventions and strategies include:

i. Contributing to the development and implementation of the consumer's crisis contingency plan and psychiatric advance directive;

ii. Brief, situational assessment;

iii. Verbal interventions to de-escalate the crisis;

iv. Assistance in immediate crisis resolution;

v. Mobilization of support systems; and

vi. Referral to alternative services at the appropriate level; and

25. Provide guidance regarding accessing emergency response services.

N.J. Admin. Code § 10:37B-4.4

Adopted by 48 N.J.R. 1636(a), effective 8/15/2016