New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Easterseals New Jersey holds 2021 Advocacy Weeks in March and April

originally published: 03/11/2021


(EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Easterseals NJ staff and community members virtually met with NJ legislators at the beginning of March, and will again in the beginning of April, to have important and constructive conversations about the issues impacting NJ residents with various disabilities as well as their families and the employees who work within the industry.  The organization specifically wanted to connect with NJ legislators on how they can and should positively impact its Day Habilitation and Telehealth programs.

Easterseals NJ’s Day Habilitation program works with individuals who have an intellectual and/or developmental disability to assist them in achieving their life goals. Participants, who must be 21 or older, are taught valuable life skills through instruction and real-world experiences so they can better participate in their community including social and communications skills, self-care and recreation.

Easterseals NJ, which operates five Day Habilitation facilities across the state, is having a difficult time keeping the programs operating efficiently as a result of overall lack of operational funding, insufficient reimbursement rates, lack of transportation funding or compensation as well as lack of reimbursement for absenteeism.

“The Day Habilitation program is a valuable one not only to the participant but to their family members and caregivers,” said Brian Fitzgerald, CEO of Easterseals NJ.  “All of these individuals rely on the all-day productive and safe program that we as an organization provide to them.  We give them a place to go every day, to socialize, to learn new skills, etc.”

Part of the conversation that Easterseals NJ is having during the Advocacy Weeks with the state’s key decisionmakers is to consider the following solutions: 




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



* Enact a supplemental appropriation for an 8% rate increase for Day Habilitation programing. Should be approximately $16M in state dollars.

* Increase reimbursement rates for A, B, and C-tiered individuals by at least 15% in the next state budget to ensure long term sustainability.

* Remove the transportation requirement from the Day Habilitation program rate so service agencies can be reimbursed for this cost.

* Reimburse programs for holding spaces for absent participants at 33% of the rate that agencies would be able to bill should they have attended.

* Offer flexibility for setting rates in more expensive parts of New Jersey to compensate for higher overhead costs incurred by agencies.

 

The second issue that Easterseals NJ is discussing with legislators is the importance of continuing telehealth services beyond the pandemic.  Since Easterseals NJ locations were ordered closed, and in-person services were cut due to the pandemic, the organization was forced to provide a wide range of telehealth and virtual services, including mental health counseling, case management and wellness screenings.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



In fact, the organization, has conducted more than 7,000 telehealth and virtual appointments and they have seen their “no-show” rate for its CenterPath Wellness program drop 50%.  The obvious benefits of telehealth is accessibility for participants, fairness for those on Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare and efficacy.

Easterseals NJ is asking for that telehealth accessibility continue beyond the pandemic and continue for all individuals as it (1) provides guaranteed coverage or availability to services, (2) ensures par parity and protects the health and safety of those needing the services and (3) offers “place of service” or the services on a permanent basis.

For more than 100 years, Easterseals New Jersey has helped individuals and families with disabilities or special needs live, learn, work and play in their communities with equality, dignity and independence. Annually, over 5,000 people in New Jersey with developmental disabilities receive services in programs designed to help them achieve independence and full community-integration.  



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Summer

Summer Brew Fest 2025

Friday, July 25, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

Miss

Miss Republica Dominicana of NJ US - Gala Final

Saturday, July 26, 2025 @ 6:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

Tyler

Tyler Henry – The Hollywood Medium: An Evening of Hope and Healing

Wednesday, July 30, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

WWE

WWE Late Night Featuring Tony Hinchcliffe

Saturday, August 02, 2025 @ 10:30pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

2025

2025 Catsbury Park Cat Convention to Take Place at Bell Works

(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Catsbury Park announces the return of the Catsbury Park Cat Convention, taking place October 11-12, 2025 for two full days of feline fun at Bell Works Holmdel. After a wildly successful return in 2024 with over 2,500 attendees, 50+ vendors, and adoptable cats stealing hearts, the 2025 edition of Cat Con is doubling down with a weekend-long celebration packed with even more speakers, workshops, adoptables, and experiences for cat lovers of all stripes.



Monmouth

Monmouth County Fair Offers Family Fun

(FREEHOLD, NJ) -- The scent of cotton candy! The thrill of the rides! The cheers from the crowds! There's something magical about the Monmouth County Fair. Find out for yourself when this five-day event celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Wednesday-Sunday, July 23-27, 2025 at East Freehold Showgrounds (Kozloski Road) in Freehold.



Newark

Newark to Celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Week July 7-13

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the Newark Municipal Council, the City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Advisory and Concerns Commission, Newark Pride, Inc, and other organizations and partners will hold Newark Pride Week from Monday, July 7, to Sunday, July 13, 2025.



Creativity

Creativity Deep Dive: Class for Adults at Vivid Stage

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, is offering a new creative class especially for adults over the last weekend in July. Creativity Deep Dive, taught by professor and playwright Phoebe Farber, is an opportunity for grown-ups to have the fun of exploring their own imaginations and creative potential. The class is offered from 10:00am-2:00pm on July 26 and 27; lunch will be provided.



Carteret's

Carteret's Civic Center Park Hosts New Jersey's Most Popular Latin Fest on July 26th

(CARTERET, NJ) -- New Jersey's most popular Latin Fest will return on Saturday, July 26, 2025 to Carteret, but this year in a new location: the Borough's accessible Civic Center Park and Sports Complex at 272 Pershing Ave. The venue change is due to ongoing construction improvements to Waterfront Park, the home of Latin Fest since 2018.