Alliance Alert: Following tomorrow’s 9:30 am Capital News Conference to press for rejection of expansions to involuntary treatment and to push for voluntary alternatives, we’re also very pleased to partner with our friends at the Association for Community Living and UnUnity Alliance to come together in the War Room of the NYS Capital to push for a 7.8% Rate Increase for hard pressed community agencies and their workforce!
Both of these events are part of tomorrow’s Annual Alliance Legislative Day: you can still catch a ride on one of our statewide buses: see more at https://rightsandrecovery.org/e-news-bulletins/2025/03/03/last-call-get-on-the-bus-spaces-are-filling-quickly-reserve-your-spot-today/ and review this year’s legislative priorities at https://rightsandrecovery.org/e-news-bulletins/2025/03/03/tomorrow-read-the-alliances-full-legislative-day-book-register-for-bus-view-training-session-in-preparation-for-tuesdays-3-4-legislative-day/.
See you tomorrow!
For Immediate Release
Contact: Leanne Ricchiuti, Headline Media for ACL, ARR, and InUnity, 518.222.8073 March 3, 2025
MEDIA ADVISORY
Advocates to Rally for 7.8% Rate Increases Inside War Room
(Albany, N.Y.) – The Association for Community Living (ACL), The Alliance for Rights & Recovery, and InUnity Alliance will have advocates and supporters rallying inside the War Room in the Capitol on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., to call for a 7.8% increase in rates and contracts for mental health and substance use disorder services in this upcoming state budget.
Governor Hochul’s budget proposal includes a 2.1% targeted inflationary increase, but advocates argue this falls far short of the 7.8% needed to keep pace with rising costs. They stress that this gap, driven by years of unfunded inflationary increases, fails to address the urgent challenges facing safety net programs—soaring operational expenses and a growing crisis in staff recruitment and retention.
WHO: Luke Sikinyi, Public Policy Director, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Doug Cooper, Interim Executive Director, Association for Community Living Debbian Fletcher-Blake, APRN, FNP, Chief Executive Officer of VIP Community Services and Board Chair, InUnity Alliance Advocates and Members of the aforementioned agencies
WHAT: Rally to call for 7.8% investment in rates and contracts for mental health and substance use disorder services
WHERE: War Room, (The Governor’s Reception Room) NYS Capitol, 2nd Floor
WHEN: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
About the Alliance for Rights & Recovery. The Alliance for Rights and Recovery is a state and national change agent dedicated to improving services, public policies and social conditions for people with mental health, substance use and trauma-related challenges, by promoting health, wellness, recovery, with full community inclusion, so that all may achieve maximum potential in communities of choice.
About Association for Community Living. The Association for Community Living (ACL) is a statewide membership organization of not-for-profit agencies that provide housing and rehabilitation services to about 40,000 New Yorkers who have been diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness. Many of the people served in these programs have co-occurring physical health problems and substance use disorders. The day-to-day rehabilitative and support activities performed in community residential and other housing settings are vital for people who face the daily challenges of living with a mental illness and want to live independent, productive and satisfying lives as members of the community.
About InUnity Alliance. InUnity Alliance serves close to 200 diverse community-based organizations providing substance use disorder and mental health services across the state. IUA’s mission is to advance equity, quality, accessibility, and outcomes for New Yorkers with SUD and MH needs by providing advocacy and support to our members and their workforce.