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Usually the mental health community has to kick and scream to get governments to do anything to improve the conditions of the mentally ill. So when an official goes out of his way to help without having to be pushed, it merits great praise. Acting Governor of New Jersey Richard Codey has made unannounced visits to mental hospitals throughout his career in public service, and he did not stop when he became Governor. In a recent interview, Codey said one of the most surprising things about being Governor was that his office allows him to fix things so fast.

On a visit in the summer of 2005 to Greystone Hospital, housing over 600 patients, Codey found that there was no working air-conditioning on a 100-degree day. Within two weeks of his visit, air conditioning was installed in all of the patients’ rooms, hallways, and common areas. Codey's first official act as Governor was to establish the Governor's Task Force on Mental Health, to recommend improvements to the State's mental health system directly to the Governor.

Acting on the Task Force's recommendations, Codey signed executive orders that improve access to services, establish a fund for housing for the mentally ill, and provide student loans to people who are planning careers in the social services. In addition, Codey and his wife are sponsoring a campaign to educate physicians and women about postpartum depression.

Governor Codey was an advocate for the mentally ill long before he gained high office. As a New Jersey State Assemblyman, he went undercover, taking the name of a deceased criminal, and applied for a job as an aide at a State Psychiatric Hospital. The fact that he was hired without a background check, and the things he saw while at the hospital, lead to several pieces of legislation to protect hospital patients.

Codey's commitment to the mentally ill also comes partly from personal experience—his wife suffered severe postpartum depression—but he says that fighting for the rights of the mentally ill is not his personal crusade, it is everyone's issue. Codey does not even seem to be doing this to get votes.

He did not run for Governor in the recent election, but his popularity was thought to have helped democratic Senator Jon Corzine win the state. Codey also seems not to want to replace Corzine in the senate. When asked if he'd take the job, he says he hasn't asked his wife's permission and that there are health issues in his family which he needs to attend to. Moreover, Codey says, he is perfectly happy to return to being President of the New Jersey State Senate, which is, he reminds us, the second-highest job in New Jersey Government.