TRENTON – The New Jersey Senate passed legislation sponsored by Senator Linda Greenstein and Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz that would establish the “Right to Mental Health Care for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act.” The legislation would establish certain requirements to ensure access to mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
“Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing are an underrepresented group who often face serious challenges due to cultural and communication barriers, particularly as it relates to obtaining mental health care where diagnosis is so often based on careful analysis of verbal communication,” said Senator Greenstein (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “This legislation will help ensure that deaf or hard of hearing individuals have access to care that is most appropriate utilizing a patient’s preferred method of communication, so that those aforementioned challenges do not represent an insurmountable barrier to obtaining care.”
The bill, S-1067, would require the Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH) in the Department of Human Services, in consultation with the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, to offer culturally affirmative and linguistically appropriate mental health services to clients using a patient’s preferred method of communication. To accomplish this, the bill would establish requirements for mental health professionals to be certified by the DDHH to ensure they are trained and experienced in working with interpreters, knowledgeable of the cultural needs of clients who are deaf or hard of hearing, and fluent in their client’s primary methods of communication.
“Everyone deserves equitable access to mental health resources, regardless of the language they use or their ability to communicate, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing,” said Majority Leader Ruiz (D-Essex/Hudson). “By establishing requirements for the provision of mental health experts who are certified as being trained and experienced in working with this population, we can assist in overcoming the barriers that too often prevent deaf or hard of hearing individuals from obtaining mental health care.”
The legislation would additionally require the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services to recruit, develop, and maintain an adequate number of mental health care professionals and support staff certified by the DDHH, as well as to monitor the services provided to ensure adequate levels of care and funding.
Under the bill, the Department of Human Services would be required to conduct a landscape analysis of mental health services presently available to individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, the current and future needs for mental health professionals who are competent in the unique cultural and communication needs of such individuals, and the availability of any resources, best practices, guidance documents, and education or training programs that may help the state satisfy those needs.
The bill was passed in a 38-0 vote.