On Wednesday, May 22, James Parauda and Dean Pastras met with Senator Gordon M. Johnson, and Assemblywoman Shama A. Haider along with their Chiefs of Staff (Scott M. Devlin and Shayla Nunn, respectively) along with Senator Johnson’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Realf Schermer to discuss the state of children’s mental health in NJ and more specifically, Bergen County. Many children are waiting for services, languishing in hospitals and crisis intervention units for extended periods because there are not enough of the needed programs/services throughout the state, or they simply do not exist. There was a positive exchange and optimism regarding potential partnership opportunities to address these issues.
Pictured left to right: James Parauda, LSW, Vice President of New Jersey Care Management Organizations (NJCMO) and Chief Executive Officer, Tri-County CMO; Assemblywoman Shama A. Haider, District 37; Senator Gordon M. Johnson, District 37; and Dean Pastras, ACSW, LCSW, Chief Executive Officer, Bergen’s Promise CMO, member of NJCMO.
