Friends of Recovery – New York holds 7th annual Advocacy Day - Friends of Recovery

FRIENDS OF RECOVERY – NEW YORK HOLDS 7TH ANNUAL ADVOCACY DAY

Group Calls For $50 Million Investment in Addiction Recovery Support Services
February 2, 2016 – ALBANY, NEW YORK – Friends of Recovery – New York (FOR-NY) held its seventh annual Advocacy Day in Albany today. Several hundred Recovery advocates converged from across the state and called for an additional $50 million in the Governor’s budget. The $50 million investment would allow for the creation of greater support and services for the nearly 2 million New Yorkers living in Recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction; as well as for their families.
The day kicked off at the Emmanuel Baptist Church on State Street for a program that included remarks from FOR-NY leadership, individuals and family members living in long-term Recovery, and government representatives including:

Senator George Amedore, Jr., Chair, NYS Senate Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Committee; Co-Chair, NYS Senate Task Force on Heroin & Opioid Addiction
Senator Robert G. Ortt, Co-Chair, NYS Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin & Opioid Addiction and Chair, NYS Senate Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities Committee
Senator Terrence P. Murphy, Co-Chair, NYS Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin & Opioid Addiction
Assembly woman Linda Rosenthal, Chair, NYS Assembly Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Committee
Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, Commissioner of the NYS Office of Alcoholism And Substance Abuse Services (OASAS)
Sheriff Craig D. Apple, Sr., Albany County Sheriff’s Office

Following the morning rally, the group marched to the Capital where they met with legislators from throughout the state to encourage immediate actions to address the addiction crisis in New York State.

According to FOR-NY Board President, Charles Devlin, “There’s a glaring omission in the addiction treatment to recovery continuum. Specifically, a lack of recovery support services following primary treatment. Friends of Recovery – New York (FOR-NY) is calling for the immediate investment of $50 million to build a strong statewide network of local recovery support services focused on minimizing relapse and maximizing the changes needed for sustained recovery.”

The proposed budget includes:

$20 million to establish a Recovery Community Center (RCC) in every county,
$10 million to establish a Recovery Community Organization (RCO) in every county,
$10 million for training and placing two full-time Recovery Coaches at RCCs in every county, and
$10 million to place Family Support Navigators in every county. (Family Support Navigators provide information, referrals, insurance navigation, treatment options, recovery support services and family education and for the family as primary clients.)

In addition, FOR-NY presented its 2016 Policy Statement urging the Governor and Legislature to take specific actions addressing the current addiction crisis. Those actions include:

INSURANCE PARITY WITH EXPANDED ACCESS TO ADDICTION TREATMENT

Enforcement of Insurance and Parity Laws to ensure that addiction treatment and recovery is accessible, accountable, efficient, equitable, and of the highest quality.
Treatment on Demand – Anyone who needs treatment must have access to treatment on demand as with other medical conditions.

ADDICTION & RECOVERY SAFEGUARDS

Physician Education – Regulations to ensure that the medical community receives continuing education with respect to addiction and recovery.
Treatment Regulations for People on Suboxone – Enactment of regulations requiring concurrent counseling treatment with the use of suboxone.
Regulation of Sober Recovery Homes – Increased improvements in standardized regulatory and quality assurance approaches to recovery homes.
Evaluation, Assessment and Referral after Overdose Reversal – Creation of proactive interventions to assist those who receive Narcan to reverse an opiate overdose.
Improved Outcomes for Those in Treatment and Recovery with Current or Former Criminal Justice Involvement – Removal of barriers and roadblocks for individuals with criminal records to make it possible for them to access treatment, sustain recovery and equal access to housing, employment, healthcare, and education as other New Yorkers.

The complete 2016 FOR-NY Addiction Recovery Policy Statement including greater detail regarding the above can be found here.