Gov. Chris Christie headlined NJHA’s Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Summit earlier this week, joining a premier lineup of state and national experts committed to improving access and care for those battling behavioral health and addiction issues.

Nearly 200 members of the New Jersey healthcare community attended the summit, representing government, community providers, hospitals and health systems and post-acute providers. In addition to the Governor, NJHA welcomed former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, TV’s Dr. Drew Pinsky and his colleague Bob Forrest, Carrier Clinic President and CEO Donald Parker and Dr. Mark Rosenberg, chair of emergency medicine and medical director of population health at St. Joseph’s Healthcare System.

Gov. Christie praised the state’s healthcare providers for being on the frontlines of caring for New Jerseyans facing mental illness and addiction. But he also challenged them to become part of the solution to the crisis by becoming more educated about prescribing practices. He also called for increased investment in opioid alternatives, more detoxification beds, greater use of recovery coaches and an end to the federal IMD exclusion which limits access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries.

“The New Jersey Hospital Association plays an essential role in bringing together all experts best-equipped to combat the disease of addiction and develop innovative strategies that tackle issues such as access to care, parity and treatment,” said Christie.

Two of those innovations were shared by NJHA members: Rosenberg presented the Alternatives to Opiates (ALTO) program now in its second year of operation at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, while Parker introduced Carrier’s new program, “Journey to the Bottom of the Brain Stem,” which focuses jointly on brain science and the practice of compassion in new treatments.

The Governor also discussed his new role on the Presidential Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, including an emphasis on education geared toward “the way kids learn today.” He said he is meeting with tech companies including Google and Facebook to develop prevention and outreach strategies.

He also spoke out forcefully against legalizing recreational marijuana in New Jersey, pointing to data that shows it often serves as a gateway to more addictive substances including opioids.

It was a viewpoint shared by former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, who kicked off the day with a candid discussion of his own battles with addiction and his ongoing fight to ensure there is parity between access and insurance coverage between mental health and addiction services and other illnesses.

“We must treat illnesses of the brain the same as illnesses of the body, and ensure that anyone with these conditions is able to access evidence-based treatment,” said Kennedy, founder of the Kennedy Forum and co-founder of One Mind and Advocates for Opioid Recovery.

The afternoon session was anchored by Dr. Pinsky, TV’s “Dr. Drew,” who is a Board-certified internist who specializes in addiction medicine. He provided focused, practical perspectives for clinicians including topics such as the lack of opioid and addiction education in medical school curricula, shortcomings of available data, 12-step processes and replacement therapies.

The goal, he said, is to help patients reach “the potential to return to flourishing, leading interconnected lives."

The summit was supported by the United Health Foundation and the National Assessment Foundation. The presentations were shared via Facebook Live; visit NJHA on Facebook to view, or use the Twitter hashtag #MHSummit17 to view tweets and photos shared by attendees.