New Jersey lawmakers are calling for a coordinated effort to improve access and affordability for mental health care, just days after a special report by NJ Advance Media chronicled the harrowing experience of a suicidal teenager and his family.

Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) and other Democratic lawmakers introduced six bills Thursday aimed at helping mental health patients, including a pilot program to transform urgent care centers to provide 24/7 mental health care.

One proposal would create short-term, interest-free loans to community health providers so they can integrate mental health care. Another would create a pilot program to link hospitals with regional health hubs that can coordinate a patient’s specialized treatment plan.

The bills, a mix of new and old proposals, were introduced four days after NJ Advance Media published “Saving Charlie,” a portrait of a Central Jersey family struggling to find help for its son. The 16-year-old, who is diagnosed with major depressive disorder, has tried to kill himself at least seven times in the past two years amid a national mental health crisis.

The special report did not directly spur the proposals, Greenwald said. But it was “heartbreaking to read” and reminds him of a close family friend whose son tragically took his life, which first inspired Greenwald to tackle mental health legislation two years ago, he said.

Experts, advocates and hospital administrators told NJ Advance Media too many suicidal teens are languishing untreated for days in emergency rooms due to surging demand for inpatient psychiatric care. That experience can quickly become a source of intense trauma even while the teens seek help, advocates said.

“ERs are not the best settings to handle mental health issues and are also the most expensive option for a patient,” Greenwald said in a statement. “Many residents are struggling to navigate our complex behavioral health system and, as a result, they delay care until going to the ER is the only option.”

Advocates told NJ Advance Media the mental health system must be reimagined to care for the evolving needs of patients who are increasingly younger and sicker. As it stands, families struggle to find immediate and affordable care.

The most intensely ill adolescents often cycle from emergency room holding tanks to short-term inpatient programs to months-long stays at residential facilities and eventually back to square one.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday when asked about the report. “I’m open-minded to make sure that we’re doing what we need to do on this specific question of suicide prevention.”

The bills proposed Thursday are “definitely a step in the right direction,” said Wendy Sefcik, chair of the New Jersey chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

”This will be really, really big,” Sefcik added.

The proposals include:

• Establishing a two-year Regional Community Behavioral Health pilot program to study the system, including the effectiveness and supportive nature of the state’s behavioral health care referral and care transition processes.
• Requiring health insurance plans to cover out-of-network mental health telemedicine on the same basis as services delivered in person.
• Mandating that the state publish a step-by-step guide for community health centers that want to get licensed to provide integrated care.

If passed and signed by Murphy, the proposals will help families struggling to find adequate care, Greenwald said.

“We know that across the board, residents reporting a mental health need are up — for the young and old,” he said. “These proposals are strategies I believe will help increase access to mental health services, which are so desperately needed.”

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Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com.