LEGAL ACTION CENTER

Need-to-Know News: Jan. 20, 2012

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.

State

With the governor's budget now in the spotlight, analysis and criticism have begun to surface, with Medicaid and pensions among the most contentious issues.
As part of its Young Men's Initiative, the Bloomberg administration is now accepting applications from vendors for the program Arches: A Transformative Mentoring Intervention. The deadline to apply is Feb. 21.

National

In New Jersey, lawmakers praised Governor Chris Christie's proposal to provide mandatory treatment for everyone convicted of a nonviolent drug offense.
Meanwhile, the state's attorney general has announced the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program to fight the abuse of prescription drugs.
The Army says its efforts to reduce stigma have helped more soldiers seek help for mental illness and substance use disorders.
A Tulane criminologist is preparing to evaluate Louisiana's plan to treat individuals with criminal records who have both substance abuse and mental illness.
A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) finds that one in five Americans experienced mental illness in the past year, and that among them, rates of substance use disorder were higher.
South Carolina's Medicaid program will begin reimbursing doctors to screen more than 30,000 pregnant women annually for substance abuse and refer them to treatment if necessary.

Tomorrow is the last day to receive the early registration discount for the The New York Society of Addiction Medicine's 8th Annual Medical-Scientific Conference, "Addiction Medicine 2012: Best Practices," happening Feb. 3-4 in New York City. Follow this link for more information about the event.
The Coalition for Women Prisoners is holding its next Conditions & Reentry Committee meeting on Jan. 27 at the The Correctional Association of NY in New York City. Follow this link for more information on the meeting.