• Need-to-Know News: Aug. 23-27, 2010

    August 27, 2010

    Updates from Us

    • The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update blog quoted LAC's state policy director, Tracie Gardner, in its article "In New York, Needle Exchange Law a True Grassroots Victory." The article takes an in-depth look at how advocates -- including Jill Reeves, left, who has used heroin since age 16 -- united with drug users in the fight for the recently passed needle exchange law.
    • In another legislative victory for LAC, Governor David Paterson has signed legislation prohibiting insurers from denying payment for emergency services provided to individuals injured as the result of their driving while intoxicated or impaired. The new law, hailed by OASAS Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo, will increase screenings for drug and alcohol problems during emergency medical treatments and ultimately give more New Yorkers the opportunity of recovery.

Headlines on Our Issues

State

  • An NY1 series takes on the importance of re-entry planning for youths leaving the state's jails.
  • Rockefeller Drug Law reform has become a major issue in the Democratic primary for attorney general.
National

  • The ACLU has settled a landmark lawsuit over female inmates’ mental and physical health services at a Wisconsin prison, with state officials agreeing to hire a full-time medical director and a consultant to monitor health services. They will also have to ensure that high-needs inmates can receive inpatient-level psychiatric treatment in a new off-site resource center.
  • A national study finds that while more U.S. hospitals are adopting electronic health records, only 2 percent of them report having records that would meet the federal government’s “meaningful use” criteria.

From Our Partners

  • Silent Voices United will be launching its World AIDS Day “Got Tested?”- Our Community, Our Life initiative Friday, Sept. 3 at the Bronx Court. The project -- a collaboration with the Bronx HIV Care Network, the Bronx borough president, the Latino Commission on AIDS, and Bronx AIDS Services -- aims to educate and test young people throughout the Bronx.
  • The Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS/HIV Research & Treatment (SMART) will be holding its annual Open House on Sept. 14. Visitors will be able to learn about SMART's treatment education program, network with other providers, and meet some of the participants it serves. Click here for more information.
  • The Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association (SAPAA) is holding its 2010 Annual Conference and Training Institute Oct. 17-21 in Las Vegas. Click here for registration forms; the early bird discount ends Sept. 18.