From mseereiter at mhanys.org Tue May 2 16:48:30 2006 From: mseereiter at mhanys.org (Michael Seereiter) Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 16:48:30 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] Timothy's Team Update - This Week's Events on Long Island, White Plains Message-ID: <014f01c66e29$c8e9fc50$3f01a8c0@MHA> Dear Timothy's Law Supporters, After a wonderfully successful march and rally in Binghamton (see coverage below), the Timothy's Law Campaign is now ramping up efforts to demonstrate the strong grassroots support Timothy's Law has from folks on Long Island and in Westchester County. Tom O'Clair will be at all of the events taking place this week and the event taking place over the weekend as well. May 4th - Meetings with Senators from Long Island Following below, and attached to this e-mail, is information relating to the meetings scheduled with Senators on Long Island coming up. While a couple of the meeting have yet to be confirmed, we hope that if you live in the district of one of the Senators listed below, that you will consider attending a meeting with that Senator to support Timothy's Law. Meet With Your Senator, Show Your Support For Timothy's Law (S.6735-a) Meetings with Senators from Long Island have been scheduled to demonstrate the support for Timothy's Law on Long Island. Following below is a list of the meetings scheduled with each Senator and the coordinator for that meeting. To participate, contact the coordinator of that event. If you don't know who your Senator is, go to http://nymap.elections.state.ny.us/nysboe/. Senator Charles Fuschillo 2:00 p.m. on May 4th 30 South Ocean Avenue Freeport, NY To attend, contact Paule Pachter at legiscmte at yahoo.com or 516-822-6111 x252 Senator Kenneth LaValle 2:00 p.m. on May 9th 325 Middle Country Rd, #4 Selden, NY To attend, contact Jason Reis jreis at mhasuffolk.org or 631-226-3900 Senator Carl Marcellino May 4th (2 meetings) 250 Townsend Square Oyster Bay, NY 10:00 a.m. - To attend, contact Janet Ulrich at lift4kids at verizon.net or 631-264-5438 10:30 a.m. - To attend, contact Paule Pachter at legiscmte at yahoo.com or 516-822-6111 x252 Senator Michael Balboni 2:30 p.m. on May 4th 151 Herricks Road, Suite 202 Garden City Park, NY To attend, contact Janet Susin at jasusin at optonline.net or 516-627-0887 Senator Kemp Hannon Meeting time not finalized 224 Seventh St., Suite 200 Garden City, NY To attend, contact Diane Lang at familygig at aol.com or 516-541-9792 Senator John Flanagan Meeting time not finalized 260 Middle Country Rd. #203 Smithtown, NY To attend, contact Rich Timo, RTimo at familyres.org or (631) 273-1300 Senator Dean Skelos Meeting time not finalized 55 Front Street Rockville Centre, NY To attend, contact Marcia Feuer at mfeuer at mhanc.org or 516-489-2322 x1313 May 5th - Rally for Timothy's Law in White Plains Flyer is attached WESTCHESTER RALLY FOR TIMOTHY'S LAW What is Timothy's law? Timothy's Law is a bill (A. 2912-A / S. 6735-A) that would require health insurers and HMO's (health maintenance organizations) in New York State to provide coverage for mental illness and chemical dependency equal to that which is provided for other medical conditions. It would end the discrimination. FRIDAY, MAY 5 12:00 - 1:00 PM RENAISSANCE PLAZA WHITE PLAINS (the fountains at the intersection of Mamaroneck Ave. and Main St.) It's time to END the DISCRIMINATION!,36 other states have parity laws! For more information please contact Eva Dech or Dally Sanchez of the Westchester Independent Living Center at 682-3926 May 7th - NAMI's Walk for Mental Health, Featuring Timothy's Law, at Jones Beach On Sunday, May 7th, thousands of people will gather for a Walk for Mental Health, featuring Tom O'Clair and advocating for passage of Timothy's Law. The Walk will take place at Jones Beach, Field #5. Check in is at 9:00 a.m., kick-off at 10:00 a.m. The event will feature live entertainment, face painting and clowns. Additional details are available at http://www.timothyslaw.org/Three%20great%20reasons%20flyer%20for%20agencies. pdf. Future Timothy's Law Events Around the State Additional events in support of Timothy's Law are being planned for Utica, Rockland County and an event in the Capital Region. For more information, go to http://www.timothyslaw.org/events.php. Following below is the coverage from just one of Binghamton's major television stations, all of which covered the Binghamton Timothy's Law march and rally on the 6:00 and 11:00 news on April 21st. Timothy's Law Rally Binghamton's NBC Affiliate, News Channel 34 April 21, 2006 If you were in downtown Binghamton, you might have noticed a large group of people walking down Court Street with picket signs towards the State Office Building for a rally there. NewsChannel 34's Peter Quinn has more on their push to pass a law requiring health insurance companies to treat people who are mentally ill as long as they need it. The group knows what it wants. Right now, under many health insurance programs, people who are mentally ill can't get the treatment they need. The Assembly's version of the bill, known as Timothy's Law, was approved last month and it would change that. Lupardo says, "It basically ends the discrimination that people who are seeking mental health services face, because there is limited coverage for people who have mental illness. What we are trying to do is have mental health insurance parody, it's equality. It treats mental illness on a par with physical illness." Timothy's Law is named after 12 year-old Timothy O'Clair of Schenectady who committed suicide five years ago after he didn't get the mental care he needed. His father spoke today. O'Clair says, "We had fought for four and a half years to get him the level and the amount of mental health care and treatment that he needed to deal with his mental health issues. But, due to limits imposed by the insurance industry we weren't able to bring it to him." The rally's purpose was to put pressure on the Senate to also pass Timothy's Law. Now, the State Senate does have its own version of the bill. Actually, it's sponsored by State Senator Tom Libous who used to chair the Mental Health Committee. Under the Senate's version, it would require health insurers to treat people who are mentally ill or who have other biological disorders.. However, it does not span out as far as the Assembly's version. Libous says, "The Assembly bill is much too broad. It goes way too far. And, it's not a bill that's business-friendly either. It would really put a lot of small businesses in jeopardy. But, having said that, I think the Senate bill, if the Assembly would be willing to compromise and talk with the Senate, which they are not willing to do, we could have a very good mental health parody bill on the books." Libous says insurance costs would increase under the Assembly's version because it's so broad and includes treating pedophiles, people who have disorders from drinking too much caffeine, and those who used cocaine for a long time. People at the rally say it's time for Timothy's Law to become law before another tragedy happens. Another note about the Senate's version, Libous says it's comparable to what other states have. HAVE A FRIEND WHO YOU THINK MIGHT WANT TO JOIN TIMOTHY'S TEAM? 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... 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Name: Flyer.doc Type: application/msword Size: 53760 bytes Desc: not available URL: From mseereiter at mhanys.org Mon May 8 15:10:23 2006 From: mseereiter at mhanys.org (Michael Seereiter) Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 15:10:23 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] Timothy's Team Update - Utica and Rockland County Events This Week Message-ID: <027401c672d3$0f3909a0$3f01a8c0@MHA> Dear Timothy's Law Supporters, Events on Long Island and in White Plains last week and over the weekend were tremendously successful in demonstrating the support that Timothy's Law has in communities throughout New York State. An update on these events will be coming shortly. In the meantime, we want to get the word out about Timothy's Law events planned to take place in Utica and Rockland County this week and weekend. MAY 12th MARCH AND RALLY FOR TIMOTHY'S LAW IN UTICA, NY: On Friday, May 12th, Timothy's Law supporters in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York will march, starting at the Catholic Charities offices (1408 Genesee Street), down Genesee Street through downtown Utica to the State Office Building at 207 Genesee Street. The march begins at 12:00 noon and once at the State Office Building, supporters of Timothy's Law will rally for passage of Timothy's Law (S.6735-a) in the NYS Senate. The rally should take place no later than 12:30 at the State Office Building. Following below, and attached to this e-mail, is the flyer for this event. Please feel free to distribute far and wide. To participate in the planning for this event, please contact Michael Seereiter at mseereiter at mhanys.org or 518-434-0439 x221. Text Box: UTICA SUPPORTS TIMOTHY'S LAW! Timothy's Law is a bill in New York State (A.2912-A / S.6735-A), named in memory of Timothy O'Clair, a 12-year old boy who completed suicide in March 2001 following a 5 year struggle with mental illness. If enacted, this legislation would amend the Insurance Law to require health insurers and health maintenance organizations (HMO's) in New York State to provide coverage for mental illness and addiction services equal to that which is provided for other medical conditions by such insurers and HMO's. In March, the NYS Assembly passed Timothy's Law by a vote of 134-9. It is now up to the members of the NYS Senate to Pass Timothy's Law in 2006 to end the insurance practices that discriminate against those with mental health and addiction needs, which have led to tragedies like Timothy's. FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2006 March and Rally for Timothy's Law (S.6735-a) On May 12, 2006, supporters of Timothy's Law will demonstrate the broad support Timothy's Law enjoys in UTICA, NY by holding a march down Genesee Street from Catholic Charities, 1408 Genesee Street, to the State Office Building at 207 Genesee St. starting at 12:00 noon. Once at the State Office Building, supporters will rally outside the State Office Building to advocate for the passage Timothy's Law (S.6735-A) by our NYS Senate. Please join Timothy's Law supporters at Catholic Charities for the march and/or rally at the State Office Building on May 12, 2005 at 12:30 to show your support for mental health insurance parity by the passage of Timothy's Law in 2006! MAY 13th MENTAL WELLNESS AND PARITY WALK, ROCKLAND COUNTY, CONGERS, NY: The day after the events in Utica, Timothy's Law supporters from Rockland County will gather at Rockland Lake State Park in Congers to participate in a 3.1 mile Mental Wellness and Parity Walk. The event will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, May 13th. The entry fee is $20 for individuals and $25 for families - all proceeds go towards education and awareness programs. This event, organized by the Mental Health Association of Rockland County, the Mental Health Coalition of Rockland County, NAMI-FAMILYA, and Families and Friends of Nathan Kline Institute will be held in memory of Jerry Klein, a long-time mental health advocate and leader in the mental health community. The walk starts promptly at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 13th. For additional information, please call 845-267-2172 x322. HAVE A FRIEND WHO YOU THINK MIGHT WANT TO JOIN TIMOTHY'S TEAM? Refer A Friend Friend's Name: Friend's Email: Your Name: Your Email: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: attd7b5c.gif Type: image/gif Size: 9334 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Flyer.doc Type: application/msword Size: 142336 bytes Desc: not available URL: From mseereiter at mhanys.org Mon May 15 15:29:24 2006 From: mseereiter at mhanys.org (Michael Seereiter) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 15:29:24 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] Timothy's Law Phone-in May 17 Message-ID: <024e01c67855$e00a9120$3f01a8c0@MHA> Phone-in for Timothy's Law 2006 Wednesday, May 17 Call Senate Majority Leader Bruno in Albany 518-455-3191 Call Senator Bruno with this message: "Timothy's Law (S. 6735-a) must be enacted NOW. I am deeply concerned that New Yorkers are still without necessary mental health and substance abuse treatment. I respectfully request that you, as the Majority Leader of the Senate, do whatever it takes to end the discrimination and make Timothy's Law a reality in 2006." The Timothy's Law Campaign is comprised of advocates, family members, consumers, and providers who support insurance parity for persons in need of mental heath and chemical dependency treatment. www.timothyslaw.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mseereiter at mhanys.org Mon May 22 14:22:58 2006 From: mseereiter at mhanys.org (Michael Seereiter) Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 14:22:58 -0400 Subject: [Timothy's Team] Timothy's Law Events This Week In Watertown And Hudson, Next Week Saratoga Springs Message-ID: <00f201c67dcc$c13defe0$3f01a8c0@MHA> TIMOTHY'S LAW EVENTS CONTINUE IN LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, DEMONSTRATING STRONG GRASSROOTS SUPPORT With extremely successful events having taken place in Utica and Rockland County over the past 2 weeks, Timothy's Law supporters in the North Country and Hudson Valley are preparing to show their support for enactment of Timothy's Law with events to be held this week. The first is taking place in Watertown on Wednesday May 24th, with the 2nd Annual Walk for Mental Health Awareness. This event, sponsored by North Country Transitional Living Services, Samaritan Medical Center, Mercy Behavioral Health Services, Northern Regional Center for Independent Living, Mental Health Association in Jefferson County, and The Children's Home of Jefferson County begins at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning at Watertown's City Hall and will proceed to Watertown's Thompson Park. Additional details are available at http://www.timothyslaw.org/2006mhwalkposter.pdf. The following evening, on Thursday, May 25th, supporters of Timothy's Law from the Hudson Valley will gather for a Candlelight Vigil in Hudson. The Vigil will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Seventh Street Park at the top of Warren St. in downtown Hudson. For additional information, or to get involved in this event, contact Tim Farley at 518-758-6369. Tom O'Clair and members of the Timothy's Law Campaign will be present at both of these events. Save the Date: June 2nd, 12:00 noon, Capital Region Rally for Timothy's Law in Saratoga Springs. For more information, or to get involved with this event, contact Mary Jean Coleman at 518-899-0021 or mjcoleman at afsp.org. The flyer advertising this event is available at www.timothyslaw.org/flyerSAR.pdf. HAVE A FRIEND WHO YOU THINK MIGHT WANT TO JOIN TIMOTHY'S TEAM? Refer A Friend Friend's Name: Friend's Email: Your Name: Your Email: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: