The Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies, Inc.: Action Alert



	Support Medicaid and Cost of Living Increases for Community Mental Health: Send Letters! Instructions: Choose the representative(s) Use the sample message provided, or modify it Enter your address if you want it included in the letter Select "plain text" or "browser" format Then click, print, and mail... that's it! The program will automatically complete the letter with the appropriate salutation and will add your name to the end. If you check multiple recipients, all the letters will appear on the same page one after the other. To: (These are the most influential legislators, choose one or more) Governor George Pataki, gov.pataki@chamber.state.ny.us Senator Joseph Bruno, bruno@senate.state.ny.us Senator Thomas Libous, senator@senatorlibous.com Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, speaker@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Martin Luster, lusterm@assembly.state.ny.us We encourage you to also mail copies of this letter to your NYS Senator and Assembly Member. You can find their address using our Representative Finder Date: October 21, 2002 Re: Showing support for Community Mental Health programs! Dear (checked above): I am writing to strongly urge your support for the community mental health sector by passing a Medicaid fee adjustment and multi-year cost of living increase and reauthorizing the Community Reinvestment Act. The recent passage of the increases for healthcare workers is a testament to what can be accomplished when Albany works together. However, community mental health workers were excluded from that increase. Studies show that workers are leaving at alarming rates-turnover among direct care staff averages as high as 54%. As many as 3 of every 4 people who left had been with the agency longer than a year. For the consumers and families who rely on these services, it is particularly difficult. The relationships--so important for effective treatment--are wiped out every time a worker leaves. This just makes the long, hard road to recovery even longer and even harder. Mental Health Commissioner James Stone agrees, saying there is, "no question" high turnover impacts the quality of care. Sadly, at a time when the needs could not be greater, a self-financing stream called Reinvestment has expired. This provision would allow more than $35 million in untapped savings in mental health to be kept in the mental health system. When the need is so great who would think of sending it elsewhere? Please support community mental health by reauthorizing the Community Reinvestment Act, passing a Medicaid fee increase, and passing a cost of living adjustment. Sincerely, Your name (required): Your address: Your City and Zip:, Include your address if you will be printing this letter on plain paper. If you will be using letterhead then omit the address above. Letter Format:Plain Text (TXT) Browser (HTML)
	©2002 The Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies, Inc. mailbox@cvmha.org

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Support Medicaid and Cost of Living Increases for Community Mental Health: Send Letters!