NJ A1512

Authorizes New Jersey Suicide Hopeline operators to make follow-up calls to minors aged 16 and older who are identified as high-risk for suicide, without requiring parental consent or authorization.

Applies to minors who call the hopeline directly or are transferred from other hotlines seeking counseling and support for mental illness or emotional disorders.

Specifies that follow-up calls do not constitute behavioral health treatment, diagnosis, or clinical care, but are considered brief supportive communication solely for suicide prevention purposes.

Addresses a gap in current law where minors can consent to temporary outpatient behavioral health services but cannot receive follow-up calls from suicide prevention hotlines without parental authorization.

The New Jersey Suicide Hopeline, operated in partnership with Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care and the Department of Human Services, received approximately 15,488 calls from youth under 25 in 2018.