NYSACRA

LEGISLATIVE DAY 2003 A HUGE SUCCESS!

Thanks to you, NYSACRA had the best Legislative Day ever.  Over three hundred providers, parents, and people with disabilities converged o­n the State Capitol in Albany.  We had magnificent musical performances by Potential Unlimited Productions. Thanks to Tom Techman & Jonathan Swick, Performers, Don Yacullo, Accompanist and Barbara Wurtz, Executive Director.  Our keynote speaker, Dr. Alan Chartock, Chairman and Executive Director, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, Publisher of the Legislative Gazette and a Professor of Communications at SUNY-Albany kicked off the day with an inspiring speech to NYSACRA members and guests about the importance of grassroots advocacy in New York.  Senator Thomas W. Libous, Chairman of the Senate Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities Committee, welcomed participants to the Capitol.  Assemblyman Cahill, Chairman of the Assembly Task Force o­n Disabilities introduced Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera, the newly appointed Chairman of the Assembly Mental Health Committee.  While Chairman Rivera (D- Bronx) is new to the Mental Health Committee, he has been in the Assembly for over ten years and expressed a high level of interest in working with NYSACRA.  If you were unable to attend, please contact your Legislators in their District Office to arrange for a visit to your agency.  Contact the NYSACRA office for a copy of the Legislative Day packet, which includes the handouts given to Legislators.

BUSH'S  MEDICAID PROPOSAL

Under President Bush’s new Medicaid proposal, states would be confronted with a choice between two alternatives, neither o­ne is very good.  States could try to operate their Medicaid programs without any financial relief from the federal government to help them get through their current fiscal crises, a path likely to lead to deep Medicaid cuts in many states.  Alternatively, states could receive some modest additional funding for the next few years, but o­nly if they agreed to convert much of their Medicaid program into a block grant, under which federal funding no longer would automatically rise to meet increases in need due to recession, epidemics, or other factors that cause medical costs to increase.  States electing this option would have to pay back the additional funding by the end of the decade.  NYSACRA will bring you more updates o­n this as they develop.  See www.cbpp.org/1-31-03health.htm for more info.

INSTITUTE FOR BASIC RESEARCH SLATED FOR CLOSURE

The Institute for Basic Research (IBR) in Staten Island was founded in 1966, and established in Mental Hygiene Law §13.17 about ten years later.  As a Part 676 Diagnostic and Research Clinic, IBR has pioneered research and developmental disabilities diagnoses.  Dr. George Jervis, former IBR Director, discovered the genetic defect that leads to Phenylketonuria (PKU), a cause of severe mental retardation.  This finding led to the development of newborn screening programs now universally used to detect PKU and other genetically determined diseases.  IBR also provides clinical services o­n an outpatient basis to many people from New York City and across the State.  The Governor cited the capital costs of repairing the existing facility as o­ne of the reasons for closure.  NYSACRA is working with our members to help educate the Legislature about the benefits IBR provides to individuals with disabilities in New York.  We cannot allow the loss of the clinical services that will occur under the Governor’s budget.  Alternatives might include moving the services to a different location or merging the whole operation with another entity, such as a college or university.  NYSACRA will keep you posted o­n any developments regarding IBR.  See OMR website for more info o­n IBR at:www.omr.state.ny.us/ddso/ibr/resource/hp_nyrgibr.jsp.

Please note:  The e-mail address for Comptrol, Inc. in the NYSACRA Membership Directory is incorrect.  The correct address is:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .