From bomalley at mhanys.org Mon Sep 8 13:51:36 2003 From: bomalley at mhanys.org (Bryan O'Malley) Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2003 13:51:36 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] Come to Albany on Sept. 16 to Support Timothy's Law Message-ID: <003501c37631$d9b94a60$8901a8c0@MHA> Untitled Document As you may have heard by now, on September 16 the Senate will be returning to Albany for a one day session. In order to convey to the Senators that we are paying attention and that Timothy's Law can not be swept under the carpet and forgotten, we have scheduled a rally for September 16th. The rally will gather in Washington Park (approximately two blocks from the State Capitol) at 3:30 p.m. From there we will bike, skate, and march to the Capitol to show support for Timothy's Law. Multiple speakers, including Tom and Donna O'Clair, are scheduled for the event, and we are expecting several hundred people to turn out in order to relay one simple message to their Senators, "Pass Timothy's Law now." In order to assist those who wish to attend the rally, busses are scheduled to come from the Syracuse area and New York City. More information about busses is included below. Driving directions are attached to this e-mail. If for some reason you have problems opening the directions, let us know and we will provide them to you in another format. Also, be sure to check the website, www.timothyslaw.org, for updates on the rally. Any pertinent updates will be posted on the website as soon as we know about them. The more people who know about Timothy's Team, the more people we can reach. At the bottom of this e-mail is a form to "Refer a Friend." If you know someone who might be interested in keeping up to date on Timothy's Law, we hope you will let them know about this valuable resource. Bus information New York City: Bus leaves at 11:30 a.m. from 425 West 47th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues) To REGISTER, you must RESERVE a seat by calling Vuka Stricevic at (212) 801-3317. Please leave your name, phone number, and program if applicable. SEATING IS LIMITED. Syracuse area: The bus will begin boarding at 10:30 a.m. and leaves promptly at 11:00 a.m. Town of Schroeppel Office Bldg., Route 57A Phoenix, NY 13135. (approximately 22 miles north of Syracuse, NY) Take 481 north; get off at exit 13. Take left off from exit and go about ? mile. Town office bldg. will be on the right hand side. To REGISTER, you must RESERVE a seat by calling Debra Graham at (315) 695-2201. Please leave your name, phone number, and how many seats you would like to reserve. SEATING IS LIMITED Please tell a friend about Timothy's Team today and help our movement grow. Refer A Friend Friend's Name: Friend's Email: Your Name: Your Email: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Directions to Washington Park Meeting Point.doc Type: application/msword Size: 23552 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bomalley at mhanys.org Wed Sep 10 16:19:07 2003 From: bomalley at mhanys.org (Bryan O'Malley) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 16:19:07 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] More transportation information for Sept 16 Message-ID: <008401c377d8$ca25c4e0$8901a8c0@MHA> Untitled Document Well, the rally for Timothy's Law is only 6 days away, and support seems to be growing continuously. As noted in the previous e-mail, busses will be coming to Albany from Phoenix (about 20 minutes North of Syracuse) and New York City. Phoenix has increased their total to 3 busses, and there are now 2 expected from NYC. Both of these busses are free, so if you are looking for a ride from either of these areas, this could be a valuable resource. Carpooling and caravans are being coordinated from both Poughkeepsie and Watertown. More information about each of these is below. The rally should help demonstrate to everyone the broad level of support that Timothy's Law has throughout the state. After a strong showing on the 16th, no longer will officials be able to claim that this is a small issue that effects only a small number of people. We will need all the support that we can get, so if there is any way you can get to Albany next Tuesday, September 16th, we hope that you will. Driving directions are available on the website at www.timothyslaw.org. You can also help to increase attendance by forwarding this message to your friends. We ask that you only forward it to those you know, as we do not wish to be responsible for spam. But if everyone were to forward this to 5 people, it could help increase turnout tremendously. And again, at the bottom of this e-mail is a form for you to refer friends to Timothy's Team. We hope that you will take advantage of this feature to let your friends know about this valuable resource and help build the movement for "Timothy's Law." The more people we can reach, the more momentum we will gain. As always, thanks for everyone's efforts. Without your help, we could not be where we are today. Bus and Carpool Information Watertown In addition to the bus, the Independent Living Center in Watertown is arranging a van. While the van is full, they are looking to caravan with supporters. To find out more information and join a caravan from the Watertown region, contact elizabethp at nrcil.org. Poughkeepsie Carpooling is also being arranged from the Poughkeepsie area. Lynn Rogers is coordinating this effort. If you would like to know how to go about joining this carpool, you can contact Lynn at (845) 473 2500 ext. 343, or by e-mail at mhadc-famsup at libertybiz.rr.com. New York City Bus leaves at 11:30a.m. 425 West 47th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues) SEATING IS LIMITED. To REGISTER, you must RESERVE a seat by calling Vuka Stricevic at (212) 801-3317. Please leave your name, phone number, and program if applicable. Phoenix (Syracuse area) The bus will begin boarding at 10:30 a.m. and leaves promptly at 11:00 a.m. Town of Schroeppel Office Bldg., Route 57A Phoenix, NY 13135. (approximately 22 miles north of Syracuse, NY) Take 481 north; get off at exit 13. Take left off from exit and go about ? mile. Town office bldg. will be on the right hand side. To REGISTER, you must RESERVE a seat by calling Debra Graham at (315) 695-2201. Please leave your name, phone number, and how many seats you would like to reserve. SEATING IS LIMITED Refer A Friend Friend's Name: Friend's Email: Your Name: Your Email: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bomalley at mhanys.org Mon Sep 15 17:08:02 2003 From: bomalley at mhanys.org (Bryan O'Malley) Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 17:08:02 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] Take Action on September 16 - Call Your Senator Message-ID: <00dc01c37bcd$74185650$8901a8c0@MHA> Untitled DocumentFor those of you unable to make it to Albany Tuesday morning, there are other steps you can take to ensure passage of Timothy's Law. Sunday's Syracuse Post-Standard included a story indicating that Senator Bruno thought that 'Timothy's Law' might have a chance of passing on Tuesday. We want to send a message to him that we saw the article, and that we encourage him to follow through and pass Timothy's Law. In order to get this message across, we are encouraging you to call your Senator, and deliver the following message: "Senator, Please pass Timothy's Law, Today!" You can reach your Senator by calling the Senate switchboard at (518) 455-2800 and asking to be connected with your Senator. For those who do not know who their Senator is, please see http://map01.elections.state.ny.us/boe/main.asp A copy of the article is attached below. Please forward this message on until the end of Tuesday, September 16. Syracuse, NY Destiny bill unlikely State Senate reconvenes Tuesday, may take up law on mental health insurance. September 14, 2003 excerpt - "And Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, also hinted his house may take up "Timothy's Law," which requires insurance plans to cover mental health and substance abuse treatments to the same extent that they cover physical illnesses and injuries." To read the entire article, click http://www.syracuse.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-11/106352863925460.xm l For more information, go to www.timothyslaw.org Help the movement grow - Tell others about Timothy's Team . Friend's Name: Friend's Email: Your Name: Your Email: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1916 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bomalley at mhanys.org Fri Sep 19 15:09:00 2003 From: bomalley at mhanys.org (Bryan O'Malley) Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2003 15:09:00 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] Timothy's Team Rally wrap up and moving on Message-ID: <004601c37ee1$7c977d30$8901a8c0@MHA> Untitled DocumentWell, for those of you who were able to make it to Albany on Tuesday, you witnessed firsthand what some in Albany are calling "the most impressive rally I have seen on the storied east steps (of the Capitol)" For those of you who were not able to get to town that day, a brief recap of the days events. We were able to show the Senate that we meant business as about 300 people came to Albany to demand that their Senators "Pass Timothy's Law Now". The rally included moving speeches by Tom and Donna O'Clair and Debra Graham, all of whom lost their chidren to suicide because of untreated mental illness. Assemblyman Paul Tonko, the sponsor of Timothy's Law in the Assembly, gave a rousing speech and led a cry for Senator Bruno to "Let this bill pass!" Nikki Cleary, friend of Timothy O'Clair from school and a rising sensation in the pop music world provided some light hearted entertainment, and more somber and soulful songs were supplied by two friends of Joshua Graham, Debra Graham's son who completed suicide in April. The highlight, or lowlight, of the day was the press conference held by Senator Jospeh Bruno minutes before the march from Washington Park to the Capitol began. In a post- session interview, Senator Bruno was asked about "Timothy's Law" and if his house was going to pass the legislation. He responded by saying the bill, as it was written, is "...too broad and too expensive. If that bill ever became law, you could not even afford healthcare in this state." Senator Bruno's obvious disregard for those who have lost their loved ones provided further impetus for the already inspired crowd, and added fuel to an already burning fire. Now, as we move on from this rally to continue the momentum that we have maintained all summer, it is time that we let Senator Bruno know that we heard his remarks and that we could not disagree more. We urge you to call Senator Bruno and tell him, "My loved ones are worth $1.26, and I want you to Pass Timothy's Law now." Senator Bruno can be reached at (518) 455-3191. Please forward this message on to all of your friends and have them join the ever-growing movement to pass Timothy's Law. Thank you for your continued support, we would not be where we are today without you. An editorial from the Troy Record, Senator Bruno's hometown paper, has been attached. It is a great call for "Timothy's Law". James Franco: Action needs to be taken on Timothy's Law Troy Record 09/18/2003 It was not your typical rally on the east steps of the Capitol Tuesday. They weren't paid political hacks told by the higher-ups to put on a shirt, wave a sign and applaud when appropriate. They were not members of SEIU, who are told to take a vacation day, hop on a bus and come to Albany where a boxed lunch will be waiting. And they weren't members of any other union, lobbying state government on behalf of themselves. They came with a modest army of about 150, made up mostly of high school kids and young parents. Yet it was the most impressive rally I have seen on the storied east steps. The crowd gathered to urge the state Senate to pass Timothy's Law, named after Timothy O'Clair, a Schenectady boy who committed suicide in 2001 when he was 12 years old. The law would bring insurance parity to those suffering from mental illness. Assemblyman Paul Tonko, who is known more for detailed analyses of the power grid than firing up a crowd, gave an impassioned speech that would have done Carl McCall proud. He screamed into the megaphone, pumped his fist and demanded that state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno put Timothy's Law to a vote. The senator has refused, although it would probably pass his chamber. He claims the bill, as drafted, would cause insurance rates to go through the roof, and thousands of New Yorkers would lose coverage. A recent actuarial study by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated that Timothy's Law would cause premiums to go up by $1.26 per month. A poll by Zogby found that 81 percent of New Yorkers would be willing to pay the money. I would. I just drank a cup of coffee that cost $1.46. The Senate thinks it would cost substantially more, but New York modeled its law on Connecticut's, where the insurance costs went up 1 percent. In Vermont, aggregate cost actually went down, because people are physically healthier when they are not plagued by mental illness. Right now, most policies limit the number of times a person can visit a mental health professional. Timothy's Law would give the same coverage to those suffering from mental illness as those suffering from physical ailments. So, a person being treated for schizophrenia would not see any difference in coverage than a person being treated for cancer. Sounds reasonable, and what a deal for a buck and a quarter a month. Odds are, however, the insurance companies are lining the pockets of the senators, so Bruno will hold out for as long as possible. Maybe Bruno and some other senators should have been at the rally. Maybe they should have seen Timothy's father, Tom, sitting next to Timothy's bike, the bike he gave his son on his 12th birthday, with the gothic, intimidating state Capitol looming in the background. Tom and Donna O'Clair are not lobbyists and they are not politicians. They are parents who lost a son because of greedy insurance companies. And they want to make sure that does not happen to any other parent. Again and again they open old wounds and tell their story. How they could not afford to give Timothy the help he needed once the grossly inadequate number of visits provided by the insurance company expired. How they gave up custody so Timothy would automatically qualify for Medicaid. How they were then forced to pay child support for a child they did not want to give up. How Donna and Timothy's brother, Christopher, then 14, found Timothy hanged in his bedroom closet. As Jenna Lehr, a friend of suicide victim Josh Graham, sang at the rally: "make them listen." With the heartfelt conviction, blind determination and the genuine human compassion I saw Tuesday, it is appalling to think they are still being turned a deaf ear. 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