THIS FRIDAY, our Alliance for Rights and Recovery (formerly NYAPRS) invites you to a very informative and empowering Western New York Regional Forum from 3:00pm-5:00pm at the BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY’S CENTRAL MEETING ROOM (1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY 14203).
The forum will especially focus on 3 items of huge importance to our members, colleagues and allies across the state:
- Alliance Vice President for Public Policy Luke Sikinyi will be discussing Governor Hochul’s recently released state budget’s expansion of involuntary inpatient and outpatient commitment programs and her proposals to invest $16.5 million in voluntary service alternatives to disconnected individuals, increase investments in a number of Peer Bridger, INSET and upstate Clubhouse programs and increase rates for community mental health agencies and housing programs. They will also explain why the Alliance is backing the use of Incident Review Panels to investigate episodes of violence and to provide corrective remedies going forward.
- Also, New York’s new 1115 New York Health Equity Reform (NYHER) Medicaid Waiver program was launched several weeks ago. The Waiver authorizes and funds nine regional Social Care Networks (SCNs) to coordinate the efforts of area providers to address the core housing support, nutrition programs, transportation needs of eligible New Yorkers. For more information about the Waiver, go to the Alliance’s website.
- Finally, we will be hosting a listening session for the Western New York region to hear directly from individuals, advocates, and service providers about the challenges and opportunities in the local mental health and recovery system. This session is an opportunity for you to share your experiences, voice your concerns, and highlight key issues that need attention.
We’ll be serving a light lunch at 3:00 pm.
This forum will help shape our collective advocacy efforts leading up to our March 4th Annual Legislative Day in Albany during which we’ll hear presentations from OMH Commissioner Ann Sullivan and key legislative leaders and honor the work of former OMH Budget director Emil Slane, former Assistant Secretary for Human Services and Mental Hygiene Patrick Wildes, longtime mental health advocate Fred Levine and Caroline Lewis, reporter for the Gothamist and WNYC.
During that day, we will also hold a large Capital rally calling for significant investments in community-based mental health agencies and their workforce as well as a very timely press conference to voice opposition to the expansion of involuntary treatment.
As an added bonus, all attendees will be entered into a raffle for a full scholarship to The Alliance’s annual conference!
