| Executive Committee Eileen
Pencer President Roy Kearse First Vice President Martin Teller
Second Vice President Nancy Jones Third Vice President Jan
Duffey Secretary James Lomanto Treasurer Kathleen Riddle Immediate
Past President Ira Marion Public Policy Veronica Uss Public
Policy Charles Devlin By-Laws David Gibson Cultural Diversity Jennifer
Faringer Membership Abukarriem Shabazz
Member-at-Large Staff John J.
Coppola Executive Director Michael H. Ballester Associate Director Marsha
Nadell Penrose Project Coordinator Kathleen Campbell Conference
Planner Jordan Gobrecht ASAP Staff Sherry LaFountain ASAP
Staff Barbara Lasch ASAP Staff |
Memo To: ASAP Members From: John Coppola Date: 2/12/02 Re: PRIORITY: Action Needed
TODAY, please contact your Assemblyperson and Senator and ask them to
send a letter to Speaker Silver and Majority Leader Bruno, respectively, asking for
additional support for OASAS treatment and prevention programs. It is our understanding
that requests have to be to be received by the Speaker and Majority Leader by February 14th,
because the budget process is on a fast track. PLEASE contact your Senator and
Assemblyperson today! Give them the following language to use for a letter they can
send. Get a commitment from them to send the letter and to give you a copy. Please fax us
a copy of the copy they give you so that we can keep track of our progress. Sample
Letter to Speaker Silver and Senator Bruno Dear Senator Bruno or Speaker Silver:
The chemical dependency treatment and prevention field need our support. They currently
receive the same level of general fund support for local assistance that they received in
1994. It is important that we ensure the viability of these important services. I
recommend that our House add $10 million to the OASAS local assistance budget to give a
much deserved 2.5% COLA to the dedicated staff providing treatment and prevention services
in communities throughout NYS. I also recommend the addition of $9.3 million that, along
with the $5.7 transitional fund proposed by the Governor, should be used to permanently
increase the base funding for programs that will be less able to serve the working poor
and uninsured when the new Medicaid outpatient rates go into effect. The funding for
treatment and prevention has been eroding in recent years. Let our House lead the way in
strengthening these services when we need them the most. Sincerely yours, Senator xxxx or
Assemblyperson xxxx |
New York Association of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Providers, Inc. 1 Columbia Place ·
Albany, New York 12207 518-426-3122 · Fax: 518-426-1046 ·
E-Mail:asap@asapnys.org ·
www.asapnys.org
