The National Impact   An update for friends of the National Advocacy Campaign for Smarter and More Effective Alcohol and Drug Policies March/April 2011    In This Issue A CATG Gathering, Featuring Key Federal Officials Pushing for SAMHSA Funding in FY 2011, and Analyzing the FY 2012 Budget Funding alert President's budget Budget analysis Funding recommendations SAAS Members Meet, Network, and Advocate Moving Forward project ASAP on the Hill Weighing In on Medicaid Core Quality Measures for Adults Comments on Medicaid Quality Measures New Webinars on Parity and the Affordable Care Act Parity 101 Parity 201 Information/registration   Quick Links The Roadmap for Smarter and More Effective Alcohol and Drug Policies 2009 Benchmarks Opportunities and Threats Join the Campaign Now!         Welcome back to "The National Impact," our monthly e-newsletter to keep you updated on the campaign's advocacy efforts! Many thanks to all the supporters who have made our successes possible.  Together, we can dramatically alter the national landscape so that fewer people suffer from alcohol and drug problems, the addicted receive the care they need, and people in recovery can live healthy and productive lives. A CATG Gathering, Featuring Key Federal Officials February brought the 2011 meeting of the Open Society Foundation's Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap (CATG) grantees in Washington, DC.  This year's event included a joint daylong meeting with SAAS and CATG for networking and hearing from national leaders.    The CATG meeting included presentations from senior policy makers at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), and the Health Resources and Services Administration.    Other presenters included staff from Open Society Foundations, Legal Action Center, SAAS, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, Central City Concern, AIDS Fund, and each of the CATG sites.   Pushing for SAMHSA Funding in FY 2011, and Analyzing the FY 2012 Budget   Advocacy continues in an effort to obtain the highest possible funding for SAMHSA in FY 2011.  Follow this link to see our most recent funding alert -- and please pass it on!   In the meantime, the FY 2012 budget process is under way, with the president's proposal released on February 14 and the House Budget Committee beginning to craft its resolution.  President Obama's plan aims to fund SAMHSA at $3.6493 billion, about $67 million over the FY 2010 level, and contains proposals to restructure certain programs within SAMHSA.    Working with national organizations from the substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery field, LAC and SAAS have put together an analysis of SAMHSA's FY 2012 budget and a set of funding recommendations. SAAS Members Meet, Network, and Advocate   In Washington for SAAS' annual winter meeting, Legal Action Center and SAAS staff briefed members on developments in health reform implementation, the federal budget, and SAAS' Moving Forward project to help providers adapt to the new health care environment.   At the SAAS meeting, membership met with experts from the Council of State Governments to discuss its efforts to implement the Second Chance Act and other work being done by its National Reentry Resource Group. During the meeting with the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), they touched on health reform implementation, Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant issues, and opportunities to work with their state officials.    Last, but not least, were the joint CATG meeting (discussed above) and visits with dozens of House and Senate offices, where SAAS members stressed the critical need to protect and expand funding for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery services in this tough budgetary environment.    ASAP on the Hill The New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers (ASAP) also made a trip to meet with various legislators and officials in February.  In discussions with New York's Congressional delegation, ASAP members stressed the need for strong addiction-related support, particularly in budget negotiations and in implementation of the healthcare reform law.    In a valuable opportunity to strengthen ties with decision-makers, members also met with leadership from SAMHSA and the Department of Health and Human Services to learn about how best to prepare for healthcare reform implementation and to discuss some of the innovative service delivery practices in New York.    Weighing In on Medicaid Core Quality Measures for Adults   In its role as a co-leader of the Coalition for Whole Health, LAC drafted comments for the Department of Health and Human Services on an initial set of Medicaid quality measures the department recently developed.    The comments praised the department for making mental health and substance use disorders priorities for their initial set of quality measures --  along with maternal/reproductive health, overall adult health, and complex health care needs -- and recommended other quality measures: Drug misuse screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment; Follow up after hospitalization for a substance use disorder; Retention (in addition to initiation and engagement) in substance use disorder treatment; Medication management for medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders; and The use of appropriate patient placement criteria for mental health and substance use disorders.   The comments also asked that specific attention be paid to the enforcement of the Wellstone/Domenici Parity Act, which precludes certain Medicaid coverage from offering SUD/MH benefits in a more restrictive way than other medical and surgical benefits.    Development of the Medicaid core quality measures is required by the Affordable Care Act.  These voluntary measures will be used to fund the future development, testing, and validation of emerging and innovative evidence-based measures.   New Webinars on Parity and the Affordable Care Act  "Parity 101" and "Parity 201," given in February, were the first in a series of healthcare reform webinars offered by LAC and SAMSHA for consumers, providers and state officials. Now posted online, they focus on implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.    More webinars are happening in the coming weeks: "What's Happening in Healthcare Reform in 2011?" "Health Homes and Accountable Care Organizations," and "How to Comment on Federal Regulations." For information and registration, see LAC's website. Join the Campaign!!   These advocacy efforts are just the beginning. As a friend of the substance use disorder field and as someone who believes in the power of advocacy and the reality of recovery, we know that you will find the National Advocacy Campaign for Smarter and More Effective Drug and Alcohol Policies as exciting as we do. In order to make the work of the campaign possible, please consider joining the effort to change alcohol and drug policies. Become a member by making a secure online contribution today (and select the National Advocacy Campaign from the drop-down box). Thank you for your support! Innovators Illinois Alcoholism & Drug Dependence Association • Jason R. Flom   Champions The Association of Substance Abuse Programs in Texas • Community Partnership of Southern Arizona • The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation • Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceutical Founders Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. • Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc. •  Association for Behavioral Healthcare of Massachusetts • Baltimore Behavioral Health • Bridges for America  •  Terry Brown • Charles Bush California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources • CARON-Comprehensive Addiction Treatment Recovery for Life • Randolph E. Cloud • Colorado Association of Alcohol & Drug Service Providers, Inc. • John Coppola • County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators Association of California • DePaul Treatment Centers, Inc. • Richard J. Dillon • Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania • Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association • Florida Certification Board • Debra Gilmour • Adam Harrington • Cynthia Humphrey • JBS International, Inc • Robert B. Levy • Maine  • Mississippi Association of Addiction Services  •  Richard J. Nance • National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - Maryland • Nevada Alliance for Addictive Disorders Advocacy, Prevention and Treatment Service • Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Services Providers • Operation PAR, Inc. • Oregon Prevention Education and Recovery Association • Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance • Michael F. Reagan • Rosecrance Substance Abuse Treatment Centers • Paul N. Samuels • Arthur J. Schut • Julie Shepard • Spectrum Programs, Inc/Miami Behavioral Health Center, Inc. • David Sterling • The Harbor Behavioral Health Care Institute • The Refuge, a Healing Place • TopLine Professional Strategies, LLC • Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities of Illinois • Utah Behavioral Healthcare Network • Thomas Van Wagner • Becky Vaughn Friends BayCare Behavioral Health  •  Central Florida Behavioral Health Network  •  Drug Abuse Treatment Association  •  EPIC Community Services •  Franklin-Williamson Human Services, Inc. • Gateway Community Services  •  Patrick Maloy • Craig Peck • The South Suburban Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse • Sutton Place Behavioral Health  •  Parker Thomson  •  Tri-County Human Services  •  The Village South (Westcare)     Donors Herbert Barish McKyle Clyburn • Thomas M. Del Vecchio • George Demarest • The Janssen Foundation • Beth Lang • Bruce Lesman • Barrett L. Silver • John B. Trammell • Arthur Wallace Thank you for supporting the National Advocacy Campaign!