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Need-to-Know News: Feb. 10, 2012

February 10, 2012

The leading story in the Feb. 13 edition of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly features comments from the Coalition for Whole Health on the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in December. Follow this link to read the comments from the Coalition, which LAC co-chairs.

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February 03, 2012

LAC State Policy Director Tracie M. Gardner testified before the Joint Public Hearing on Public Protection this week to present the recommendations of the NY ATI/Reentry Coalition. Read the full recommendations here, or see video of the hearing.
The New York Observer is featuring a profile of LAC Board Member Doug Liman in anticipation of his new show on MTV.

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January 27, 2012

Finalized its recommendations to fully include mental health and substance use disorder services within the Essential Health Benefits framework of the Affordable Care Act. If your organization would like to sign on to the recommendations, please contact Sherie Boyd at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Drafted comments on the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin released by the Department of Health and Human Services last month. To sign on to the comments, please contact Sherie Boyd at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) before the Jan. 31 deadline; we also encourage you to use our comments as a template to submit your own.
Submitted a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius — on behalf of more than 75 national, state and local groups in the SUD and MH communities — asking for the data HHS used to develop the Essential Health Benefit Bulletin, and for more time for organizations to provide comment.

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January 20, 2012

After an analysis of Governor Andrew Cuomo's new budget plan, we were pleased to issue a statement this week supporting the proposal as a sensible path for New York State in answering the needs of people with HIV, people with addiction and mental health issues, and people involved in the criminal justice system.

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December 16, 2011

Roberta Meyers-Peeples, the Director of LAC's National H.I.R.E. Network, discussed the challenges confronting individuals with criminal records in finding employment in an article discussing the possibility that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) might include a "ban the box" provision< limiting employers' ability to ask about criminal records as part of the job application process, in its upcoming opinion about the use of criminal records in hiring.
Elizabeth Farid, the Deputy Director of LAC's National H.I.R.E. Network, testified on Thursday at a New York City Council hearing on the New York City Probation's 2011 Strategic Plan. In her testimony, Ms. Farid emphasized Probation's willingness to support probationers in their efforts to obtain employment and to work with the ATI and Reentry community.

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December 09, 2011

The Legal Action Center has released a report, Legality of Denying Access to Medication Assisted Treatment in the Criminal Justice System, that explains why criminal justice agencies violate Federal anti-discrimination laws and the United States Constitution when they deny access to medications, such as methadone and burprenorphine, to treat opiate addiction. The report was written at the request of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD.), who, along with the Center, has a longstanding interest in expanding the use of these medications in criminal justice settings.

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November 18, 2011

On Monday, LAC's Director/President, Paul Samuels spoke at the New York meeting of the Department of Health and Human Services' Regional Listening Sessions about the Essential Health Benefits package to be required under the healthcare reform law. In his testimony, Mr. Samuels emphasized the need for the benefits package to mandate full parity in the coverage of mental health and substance use disorders.
LAC's Director of New York State Policy, Tracie Gardner, testified on Thursday before a joint Assembly Committee hearing about the merger of the Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives (DPCA) and the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the impact of the merger on ATI and Reentry. In her comments, Ms. Gardner thanked the New York State Assembly for their years of support for these programs and described the "strong support and skillful administration" provided by OPCA and DCJS to ensure continued funding for ATI and Reentry programs during a period of tightened budgets. Lastly, Ms. Gardner called for the state to create a permanent funding stream for these programs.
Elizabeth Farid, the Deputy Director of the National H.I.R.E. Network, will co-present a webinar training for advocates, together with staff from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Sentencing Project and the National Employment Law Project, on "Reducing Employment Barriers for People with Criminal Records." Visit this site to register for the training.

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