NYAPRS Note: Over 700 dedicated mental health system and self-advocates are coming to Albany tomorrow to brave cold conditions along the way to participate in tomorrow’s NYAPRS Annual Legislative Day, which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am with a hearty breakfast. Why are so many coming in the face of the cold?
They come to raise their voices to tell the Governor’s office, their state legislators and committee chairs and the media that ‘adequate affordable housing is essential to recovery’ and to stop avoidable arrests, intolerable prison conditions and appropriate discharge and access to follow up community supports. They come to see that several decades of pioneering non-Medicaid recovery services make it into prominent placements in our emerging managed care system and that consumer choice and rights protections are in place. And they come to advocate for more personalized community based service innovations, access to medications of choice and to retain a quality work force.
Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to be a part of one of the nation’s most admired and successful grassroots community movements in action. See schedule below. Email us at tarad@nyaprs.org with any questions.
Correction: Yesterday’s e-news erroneously reported that the Governor’s amended budget restored prescriber prevails protections. We misunderstood what did happen, which will actually make restoring this protection harder. The Governor has placed the elimination of this initiative within his entire Medicaid budget, which means legislators would have to take such a targeted action. Sorry for our confusion. We will be working this issue hard tomorrow.
NYAPRS 18th Annual Legislative Day Schedule
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Hart Auditorium at The Egg, Albany, NY
Program Schedule
9:30am Breakfast, Check-In; Hart Auditorium, The Egg
10:00am Welcome: NYAPRS Co-Presidents Carla Rabinowitz, Alison Carroll
Public Policy Co-Chairs Carla Rabinowitz, Ray Schwartz
10:05am NYAPRS 2015-16 State Public Policy Priorities
- Invest $82 million in Statewide Housing Rate Adjustment for Supported, Congregate, and Permanent Settings –Toni Lasicki
- Create 30,000 NYNY IV Supportive Housing Beds with a $30 million investment –Steve Coe
- Preserve $30 million in Adult Home Investment in Community Settings; Restore EQUAL Funding –Ray Schwartz, Geoff Lieberman
- Support Criminal Justice Initiatives:
- Expand Crisis Intervention Teams –Carla Rabinowitz
- Raise the Age –Emanuel Kelly
- Prohibit Solitary Confinement –Jennifer Parish
- Approve Presumptive Medicaid Eligibility –Glenn Liebman
- Invest in Community Supports – Jennifer Parish
- Approve the Community First Choice Option –Briana Gilmore
- Restore Prescriber Prevails –Carla Rabinowitz
- Preserve $115 million in Medicaid funding to support a recovery-focused transition to Medicaid Managed Care –Briana Gilmore
- Approve $15 million in New Community Reinvestment Funded Services –Harvey Rosenthal
- Approve 2% COLA for Community Mental Health Workforce –Ray Schwartz
- Approve Mental Health Tax Check-off legislation –Glenn Liebman
11:05 am Featured Speakers
- Assistant Deputy Secretary for Health Tracie Gardner
- OMH Commissioner Ann Marie Sullivan
- Assembly Mental Health Committee Chair Aileen Gunther
- Senate Mental Health Committee Chair Robert Ortt
- Assembly Criminal Justice Committee Chair Daniel O’Donnell
11:35 NYAPRS Awards to Jennifer Parish, Karen Wera, Dottie Harle, Michael Virtanen
11:45 am Role Play of Legislative Advocacy Meetings
12:00noon Lunch
12:30pm Capital News Conference, Room 130 Legislative Office Building
1:00 pm “Housing is Essential for Mental Health Recovery!” Rally
1:30 pm Meet with Your State Legislators
4:00 pm Re-group at Your Buses, Return Home