Action Agenda Spotlight-
Investment in Community Services
This week we will be looking at one of the most important budget items for fiscal year 2015-16, the continued downsizing of state-run psychiatric hospitals and investing the savings from these reductions into community-based support services.
The Executive Budget proposes the reduction of an additional 136 psychiatric facility beds, at a savings of $110,000 per bed. This will generate $15 million to invest for services in the community.
While NAMI-NYS has always opposed bed reductions, we are encouraged by two factors of this proposal. The first is that the $110,000 recognized savings per bed is a higher figure than the $70,000 figure which was reported in the 2014-15 Executive Budget, and second, the full amount per bed will be reinvested into community services.
NAMI-NYS has already met with Assembly Mental Health Chair, Aileen Gunther and the office of Robert Ortt, the newly appointed Chair of the Senate Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities Committee, to inform them that we believe that community support services in New York State must meet the standards for community services set forth by the NAMI Policy Platform and includes the necessary amount crisis services and beds (no one should have to travel more than an hour to receive crisis services), supported housing, family engagement and peer support. On Janurary 29th, NAMI-NYS attended a budget briefing with NYS Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Marie Sullivan. On of the points NAMI-NYS emphasized with the commissioner is that we want to ensure that our local affiliates are contributing stake-holders in the creation of support services. This is where...
NAMI-NYS NEEDS YOUR HELP!!! HELP SHAPE SERVICES IN YOUR COMMUNITY
We need to ensure that our local NAMI leaders are engaged in establishing the support services in your respective communities. We ask that all our affiliate leaders contact their local OMH field office, and tell them you want to be involved in shaping the services being established with reinvestment dollars. Our grassroots leaders will be essential in ensuring that the mental health of every community is maximized and that support services are fully advancing the recovery of all people living with a psychiatric disorder.
Click here to read the Action Agenda sheet on Community Reinvestment.
Click here to register to make your voice heard at the NAMI-NYS Legislative Conference.
NAMI Signature Program Updates
NAMI has updated the following: NAMI Signature Program Code of Conduct, NAMI Signature Program Operating Policies & NAMI Signature Program Process for Non-Certification of Trainers. You can locate the changes on NAMI 360.
New Manuals for 2015
NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group
NAMI Family Support Group
NAMI Homefront
NAMI Parent and Teachers as Allies
The following manuals will remain the same until 2016; please replace the above policies.
NAMI Basics/Bases y Fundamentos de NAMI
NAMI Ending the Silence
NAMI Family-to-Family/De Familia a Familia de NAMI
NAMI In Our Own Voice
NAMI Peer-to-Peer
NAMI Provider Education
Upcoming NAMI-NYS Regional Trainings
IOOV-Feb 28th - March 1st in New York City
FSG-March 28th - March 29th in Poughkeepsie
P2P-April 24th - April 26th in New York City
FSG- June 6th- June 8th in Albany
Please contact Shaniqua Jackson, State Program Coordinator via email [email protected] for further details.
NAMI Buffalo & Erie Advocate for New Commissioner of Department of Mental Health
NAMI Buffalo & Erie President Marcy Rose, with the help of her members, has aided in the withdrawl of Dankert-Maurer's nomination. Rose, who wrote an op-ed on the topic, had the help of local members in voicing their concerns over the nomination of Dankert-Maurer and are calling for a candidate with more experience with serious mental illness. Click here to read more on this topic.
