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NYAPRS Feb 22-March 4 Local Advocacy Days/ Next Tuesday’s Advocacy Prep Webinar/ Live March 10 Albany Legislative Day/ Virtual Advocacy Outreach Letter

by The Alliance for Rights and Recovery

RAISE YOUR VOICES: COME PARTICIPATE IN 2022-23 NYAPRS BUDGET & LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY!
NYAPRS Local Legislative Advocacy Days: February 22-March 4, 2022
Join us on our March 10th Annual Albany Legislative Day! 

This Tuesday February 22nd   10:30 am Advocacy Prep Session

NYAPRS will be supporting our members and allies to schedule and conduct virtual zoom advocacy meetings with their state legislators and/or their staff during this year’s NYAPRS Local Advocacy Days, between Tuesday February 22 to Friday March 4 and have provided the attached Draft 2022 Annual Legislative Day book to help guide and inform your efforts. We’ll be sharing a FINAL version Monday morning that you can use to email your legislators and fellow advocates in advance of your virtual and local or Albany face to face meetings with legislators and/or their staff.

Please join us this Tuesday February 22 at 10:30 for a webinar to review the issues and the advocacy involved. Please use the following LINK to participate: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEuce2urD4oGNPcXIl2h7cNcYomYOis1DET. Please refer to the book during the webinar.

Finally, make your final preparations  to join us in Albany for our March 10 Albany Legislative Day from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm that will start in ‘the Well’ in the Legislative Office Building. The Well is large enough to foster social distancing; we will be expecting attendees to bring proof of vaccination and a mask.

The Day will feature presentations on each of our issues, remarks from top Administration and Legislative leaders (see below) and opportunities for attendees to engage in a news conference and demonstration and face to face meetings with their legislators and/or staff in their Albany offices.

As always, NYAPRS will be providing a continental breakfast and lunch.

Thanks to Governor Hochul, we’re already off to a great start….let’s join together to secure our other high priority budget items this session! Thanks!

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NYAPRS 23rd Annual Legislative Day Program
Wednesday March 10, 2022

Program Schedule

9:30 am    Breakfast

10:00 am  Welcome Comments  

10:05 am  NYAPRS 20221-2023 NYS Public Policy Priorities

11:05 Am  Featured Speakers

      • Jihoon Kim, Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Mental Hygiene

      • Dr. Ann Sullivan, Commissioner, NYS Office of Mental Health

      • Assembly Mental Health Committee Chair Aileen Gunther

      • Senate Mental Health Committee Chair Samra Brouk

      • More TBA

11:30 am            Lunch

12:15 pm           News Conference/March

1:00 pm             Meetings/Zoom Calls with State Legislators and/or Staff

3:00 pm             Return Home

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NYAPRS 2022 State Advocacy Agenda

  1. Oppose Expansion of Kendra’s Law: Fund Voluntary Outreach, Support Services and Housing First Programs to Address Mental Health Crisis

    1. Allocate $35 million for 750 more Housing First supportive housing units

    2. Allocate $2 million to create 4 INSET peer outreach and engagement programs

    3. Allocate $3 million to Create 6 Transitional Peer Bridger Programs for improved hospital discharge planning and follow up

    4. Fund teams of Mental Health/EMT First Responders (Police Alternatives)

    5. Fund additional Crisis Stabilization and Respite Centers*

    6. Approve $35 million to Create 9-8-8 Mental Health Hot Line*

    7. Approve $21 million to create Safe Options Support Teams*

  2. Support Funding Increases for Community Based Behavioral Health Services

    1. Approve 5.4% COLA* (include Health Home Care Management and OTDA Supportive Housing programs), workforce bonuses and remove the “sunset” revision to help ensure that COLAs will be included in all future budgets

    2. $500 million Investment in Behavioral Health Services (see attachment) and approve reinvestment of $111 million in Unspent Managed Care Behavioral Health $*

    3. Re-bid MCO Contracts that Administer Behavioral Health Services Carved into Medicaid Managed Care*

  3. Support Housing Increases

  4. Approve Criminal Justice Reforms

    1. Pass Clean Slate (S1553C/A6399C)

    2. Pass Treatment not Jails (S2881B/A8524A)

  5. Support Adult Home Residents

    1. Strengthen Enforcement of Adult Home Residents’ Safety and Freedom from Abuse (A.196A/S.1576A)

  6. Pass Maternal Mental Health Bills S.7865, S.7753, S.7752

* Included in Governor’s Budget