Hundreds March Next Tuesday

ALBANY, NY (02/11/2011)(readMedia)--

WHEN: 1:00 pm Tuesday February 15, 2011

WHERE: Room 130 (LCA Room) NYS Legislative Office Building Albany, NY

WHO: Representatives of a coalition of 20 statewide and regional advocacy groups for New Yorkers with psychiatric disabilities and substance use disorders, their families and community recovery providers. Over 500 Medicaid beneficiaries with those needs will be conducting a simultaneous march outside the Capitol.

WHY: Governor Cuomo is right to call for bold Medicaid reforms that improve care and reduce costs. Leading behavioral health advocacy groups have responded by backing an innovative proposal to integrate those services and link them to vital health, housing and support services, managed regionally by specialty managed care behavioral health organizations (BHOs). They strongly oppose alternative proposals and turn over the care of our most vulnerable New Yorkers to HMO health plans.

CONTACT: Harvey Rosenthal 518-527-0564; Andrea Smyth 518-221-9014

Lauri Cole 518-461-8200; Toni Lasicki 518-441-5651

Coalition Members

Richard Gallo, New York State Psychiatric Association

Toni Lasicki, Association for Community Living

Jennifer March-Joly, Citizens Committee for Children of NYC

Phillip Saperia, Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies

Paige Pierce, Families Together

Laura Elliot-Engel, FOR-NY

Seth P. Stein, Esq. , Long Island Coalition of Behavioral Health Providers

Giselle Stolper, Mental Health Association of NYC

Glenn Liebman, Mental Health Association of NYS

Amy Colesante, Mental Health Empowerment Project

Wendy Brennan, National Alliance on Mental Illness - NYC Metro

Sherry Grenz, National Alliance on Mental Illness - NYS

John Coppola, New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers

Harvey Rosenthal, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services

Andrea Smyth, New York State Coalition for Children's Mental Health Services

Jackie Negri, New York State Case Management Coalition

Lauri Cole, New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare

Jeff Wise, New York State Rehabilitation Association

Ted Houghton, Supportive Housing Network of New York

Herb Ruben, Veterans Health Alliance of Long Island

WHO:	20 statewide and regional advocacy groups for New Yorkers with psychiatric disabilities and substance use disorders, their families and community recovery providers. Over 500 Medicaid beneficiaries with those needs will be simultaneously marching around the capitol.
WHAT:	Press Conference and March
WHEN:	Tuesday February 15, 2011 at 01:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
WHERE:	Room 130 (LCA Room) NYS Legislative Office Building Albany, New York

Posted Friday February 11, 2011 at 02:47 pm by New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services