Mental health program coming to county

NEWTON — On Thursday evening, Sept. 3, at 7:00 p.m., the Sussex County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will welcome Jennifer Malec, LCSW, to explain a new, state-funded mental health treatment program available in Sussex County called Assisted Outpatient Treatment.

Malec is the director of Integrated and Forensic Case Management Services at the Mental Health Association of Morris County.

In 2014, the NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services mandated that all counties add the Involuntary Outpatient Commitment (IOC) Law to their continuum of care. Funding was provided to develop a program in every county specifically designed to serve persons with serious mental illness who were highly symptomatic and in need of court monitoring, but who did not meet the state standard of imminent danger to self or others requiring an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. The Mental Health Association of Morris County pursued the opportunity to provide this additional level of care to the community and, in June 2015, was awarded grants to implement IOC programs in both Morris and Sussex counties. Jennifer Malec will coordinate the program for MHAMC, to be called "Assisted Outpatient Treatment." The program will become fully operational this September.

The presentation and discussion will be held from 7:00-8:15 p.m. at Bridgeway, 93 Stickles Pond Rd., Newton. The public is welcome to attend free of charge. For further information or directions, call 973-214-0632.