[NYAPRS Enews] Photos, Media Coverage of January Legislative Day Now Available

[Harvey Rosenthal]

NYAPRS Note: We've posted some of the pictures of the extraordinary
January 26th Albany Mental Health Legislative Day NYAPRS co-sponsored
with ACL and MHANYS with the support of all of our colleague groups here
in New York. See them at
http://www.nyaprs.org/Pages/View_Content_B.cfm?ContentID=61. More photos
will be posted as we get them. 

Thanks again to all of the brave 1,500 advocates who joined us and all
of their supporters who made their transportation and participation
possible! 

 


NYAPRS 12th Annual Legislative Day 
January 26, 2010



 

Protesters holding signs at rallyOn January 26th, 2010, NYAPRS, along
with partners MHANYS and ACL,  brought ove 1,500 people from around the
state to Albany. Our crowd of yellow-hatted activists rallied in the Egg
and outside of the Capitol to send the message that community mental
health services are essential to the recovery of hundreds of thousands
of New Yorkers and that, at minimum, there cannot be any further erosion
of funding or support for our safety net.

The unity and magnitude of our mental health advocacy community was the
talk of the day, as noted by Administration officials, legislators and
staff and the Capitol media.

 

Legislative Day 2010 in the news:

 

Lobbying 101 Jay Gallagher Gannett News Service Blog  January 27, 2010

Short of giving them money, what is the best way to influence lawmakers?

Yesterday was the first official "lobby day" at the Capitol since Gov.
Paterson presented his budget last week, and at least one group was
going by the tried-and-true formula.

Advocates for the mentally ill (full disclosure: they gave me an award
yesterday) first held a mid-morning meeting with all of the people they
had persuaded to come to the Capitol from as far away as Long Island and
Buffalo, many of whom had boarded buses long before dawn. A series of
speakers fired up the crowd, which the organizers put at 1,500.

They also learned a slogan, "Don't stop our recovery. Don't cut the
(safety) net."

Then after being further convinced of the rightness of their cause (more
money for the mentally ill) they adjourned for a box lunch. Then they
met for another rally, this one outside. They wore yellow hats and
carried signs organizers had issued as they heard more speakers champion
their cause. It was a made-for-TV event, and the cameras seemed to like
it.

Then in the afternoon, groups split up into contingents to visit their
local lawmakers. They were briefed first on being polite, on-point and
insistent, then sent off to the Legislative Office Building.

After their meetings, they boarded buses and headed home.

Does it work? Hard to tell. But one of the organizers, Harvey Rosenthal,
pointed out that as the groups' rallies and organizing efforts have
grown, so has their influence. This year, for example, the governor
proposed no cut in the aid the groups are getting, when many other
programs do face cuts.

Still, Rosenthal told the group, "We need a COLA" (cost-of-living
increase.)

 

 
<http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/21958/tatarstan-and-mental-
hygiene/%20> "Tatarstan and mental hygiene" Times Union, January 26,
2010 at 1:16 pm by Rick Karlin

 
<http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-c-2010-02-22-65622.113122_Pa
tients_voices_heard.html> "Patients Voices Heard", Legislative Gazette,
February 22, 2010, by James Nani

 

More photos of our amazing advocates in action!   GO TO SITE TO SEE!

 

Thanks to everyone who participated.  See the links below for
information on our 2010 legislative priorities. 

 
<http://www.nyaprs.org/PDF/2010%20Health%20Medicaid%20Budget%20Testimony
.doc> NYAPRS Health/Medicaid Budget Testimony

 
<http://www.nyaprs.org/PDF/2010%20MH%20Budget%20Testimony%20for%20readin
g.doc> NYAPRS Mental Health Budget Testimony

 <http://www.nyaprs.org/PDF/ProtectMHSafetyNet1%2021%2010B.pdf> Protect
the Mental Health Safety Net Joint Flyer

 
<http://www.nyaprs.org/PDF/NYAPRS%202010%20Legislative%20Day%20Handout97
.doc> NYAPRS Legislative Day Policy Priorities Handout

 

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