New Jersey: Ribbon cutting: new center for adults with autism, mental health problems

July 14, 2023, PBS NJ: Center will connect adults with autism to mental health care https://www.thirteen.org/programs/nj-spotlight-news/facility-to-connect-adults-with-autism-to-mental-health-care-1689362814/

A new facility that will expand inpatient behavioral health services for adults with autism and developmental disabilities was unveiled at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth on Thursday. The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities is considered the first of its kind in the state.

VIDEO: A new center has opened to better support adults with disabilities.

The Health Care Foundation for New Jersey Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities opened in Elizabeth on the Campus of Trinitas Regional Medical Center. Its goal:

to provide inpatient behavioral health services for those with disabilities who are also dealing with mental illness.

Nearly 100 behavioral health specialists, advocates and doctors gathered at Trinitas Regional Medical Center for a ribbon cutting to unveil the Health Care Foundation of New Jersey Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities on the hospital’s New Point Campus.

The first of its kind in the state.

Nanct Diliegro, President and CEO RWJBarnabas Health: “As as 2023, New Jersey now has the third highest rate of autism in the nation. That’s unbelievable as well.

“This means more and more individuals are aging out of child and adolescent services with limited programs and resources.”

The new center expands TRMC’s impatient behavioral health services for adults with intellectual developmental disabilities and co-occuring mental illnesses to meet the specialized needs of this population. …

The center will feature 12 new beds, increasing the hospital’s capacity to 22 beds. …