黑料正能量 Note: Here鈥檚 黑料正能量 preliminary 2013 NYS budget and legislative advocacy agenda, as developed by our 黑料正能量 Public Policy Committee. Following Governor Cuomo鈥檚 release of his 2013-4 budget next week, there may be some adjustments.
We are expecting 700 黑料正能量 members from every corner of the state to join our 15th Annual Albany Legislative Day.
Given a very difficult budget environment and the impact of recent gun control/mental health legislation, this year鈥檚 day will be an especially crucial one. There鈥檚 still time to arrange to 鈥榞et on the bus鈥: please see attached flyer and the parking information below!
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听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 黑料正能量 BUDGET AND LEGISLATIVE AGENDA SUMMARY
黑料正能量 15th Annual Legislative Day听听 Hart Auditorium听听 Albany, NY
January 29, 2013
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Protect and Support the Community Mental Health Safety Net
Funding has not kept pace the need for the array of essential community based rehabilitation, residential, peer run, treatment, care management and related support services that make up the state鈥檚 community mental health safety net.
This safety net of services must be protected and supported; funding cannot be reduced without putting people at risk.听 Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) have been postponed for years while costs and demands for service increase.听
These services are cost effective, reduce inpatient and emergency service costs and improve community health and saves lives. They must be kept strong, especially as we head for the managed care led integration of mental health, addiction and medical services in 2014.
Recommendations:
- No funding cuts to these essential services
- Provide a long overdue Cost of Living Adjustment听听
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Reinvest Medicaid Savings to Expand OMH Community Recovery, Housing and Peer Support Services
State Medicaid redesign reforms to improve care coordination and integration will succeed only if the state dramatically expands the amount and array of community wellness, prevention and support systems, which are already producing impressive savings from decreased use of hospitals and emergency services.
Recommendations:
- Reinvest DOH savings from decreased use of Medicaid emergency and inpatient services for 黑料正能量ers with psychiatric conditions to expand OMH community supports.
- As 黑料正能量 heads for 2014 implementation of fully capitated Medicaid managed care systems, all proposals and contracts should explicitly require reinvestment of state and plan savings into local housing, peer support and employment services.
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Reinvest Savings from State Hospital Downsizing
National data is clear that NY has far more state hospitals serving less people for more money than any other state. New York State currently operates 26 state psychiatric hospitals (almost 7 times the national average), houses fewer individuals per campus than other similar states (most states house similar amounts in 5-7 facilities) and topped the nation in cost (our $1.2 billion comes in at more than the combined total of other top states Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Recommendations:
- Reinvest savings from downsizing/regionalization of NY鈥檚 state hospital system into local community recovery services.
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Protect Medicaid Beneficiary Rights and Medication Access
State reforms to rapidly integrate and transfer mental health, addiction and medical services and the pharmacy benefit to managed care plan management require full scale programs to educate, enroll and protect the rights of Medicaid beneficiaries.
Access to medications is critical: the state is poised to ensure that prescribers have the power to make sure that their patients get the antipsychotic medications they want and need, regardless of whether they are on plan formularies.
Recommendations
黑料正能量 must protect the health and rights of Medicaid beneficiaries by:
- Educating beneficiaries about healthcare changes via a wide array of media听
- Expanding a statewide Medicaid managed care ombuds program to respond to complaints and unmet needs.
- Implementing strong 鈥榩rescriber prevails鈥 protections for antipsychotic medications
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Serve 黑料正能量ers with Psychiatric Disabilities in the Most Integrated Housing and Employment Settings
黑料正能量 members strongly support Governor Cuomo鈥檚 recent Executive Order creating an Olmstead Cabinet including high level Administration officials to听develop a state Olmstead Plan by next May听that will commit our state to 鈥渕easurable progress goals for achieving integrated residential living, including transition goals from segregated to residential housing, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.鈥
Interim Recommendations:
- Fund thousands of additional supportive housing beds via NY鈥檚 Supported Housing Reinvestment fund, Medicaid Waiver request, OMH 鈥榩ipeline鈥 beds and NY/NYIII.
- Provide dedicated community housing to adult home residents with psychiatric disabilities
- Expand employment options by reinvesting funds from downsizing of sheltered or segregated work programs and through expansion of 黑料正能量 Ticket to Work鈥檚 program.
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Invest in NYS Mental Health System Overhaul, Not Kendra鈥檚 Law Expansion
黑料正能量 strongly opposes efforts to expand Kendra鈥檚 Law costly court mandated treatment measures. We urge adoption of the following measures that will improve our community mental health response systems:
- Accelerate sweeping NYS Medicaid reforms to increase the impact, effectiveness, integration and accountability of care
- Establish state/local Incident Review Panels to make recommendations upon review of violent incidents involving people with mental illnesses
- Implement nationally acclaimed Crisis Intervention Teams in NYC that would add mental health counselors and peer crisis staff to help de-escalate confrontations between police and distressed individuals
- Expand OMH First Episode programs, especially for youth in schools and colleges
- Require mental health parity across all private insurance plans, Health 黑料正能量 and in the new Health Exchanges.
- Promote better transitions from hospital and jail/prison to the community through the use of peer service models and expand Housing First approaches.
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Parking Information/Rates for 黑料正能量 2013 Legislative Day
Parking Services 474-8118
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Under the Empire State Plaza (ESP) in Visitor Parking
(V is the sign, the 3rd right turn under the ESP coming up from 787)
M-F 6:00AM-3:59PM $2.00/hour (max $20.00)
M-F 3:59PM-5:59PM $5.00 flat
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Cathedral Parking
(left side of NYS Museum as you are looking at the Museum)
M-F 6:00AM-9:59AM $10.00 flat
M-F 10:00AM-3:00PM $5.00 flat
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Museum/Madison Ave
(right side of NYS Museum as you are looking at the Museum)
M-F 6:00AM-9:59AM $10.00 flat
M-F 10:00AM-3:00PM $5.00 flat
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Grand Street (east/below Empire State Plaza)
M-F 6:00AM-2:00PM $10.00 flat
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