Every year, the NJ Senate and Assembly Budget Committees hold
public hearings and work to approve the Governor’s proposed budget typically
released in his annual Budget Address.
You can read the entire text of the speech here if you missed it on
February 28th
Now it is our turn as advocates to have our voices heard. The NJ Senate and Assembly Budget Committee
hearings are a unique opportunity for you to tell your story. NCADD-NJ has sent over 70 advocates to
testify at these hearings in the past, and has submitted many written
testimonies as well.
When we typically think of the word “budget” we tend to think of
money. Let’s put that aside for a minute
and think of it in the context of our individual or family budgets. You have a certain amount of money, and you
need to prioritize how you spend. A
budget could go towards rent/mortgage, food, dining out, household bills, gifts
for family, gasoline and the list goes on.
The NJ Legislature needs to see that funding addiction prevention,
treatment, family and recovery support works, just the same way as when you pay
your electric bill you want to see that light in your house go on. The
budget is all about prioritizing.
In the Governor’s State of the State he made it clear what his
priority would be for the remainder of his term. Here are just a few quotes from the speech
“Our state
faces a crisis which is more urgent to New Jersey's families than any other
issue we could confront. A crisis which is destroying families. One that is
ripping the very fabric of our state. The crisis of drug addiction.”
“Our friends
are dying. Our neighbors are dying. Our co-workers are dying. Our children are
dying. Every day. In numbers we can no longer ignore.”
“According to
the Surgeon General, an American dies every 19 minutes from an overdose of
heroin or prescription opioids.”
Mary Forsberg, formerly of the NJ Policy Perspective gave some
encouraging but cautionary words in her Advocacy Guide to the Budget titled
‘The 800- Page Gorilla’ when she states “A friendly supporter in the right
place can make it happen. And if you
make it into the Governor’s proposal you are in great shape. Once you make it into the Governor’s budget,
you are rarely taken out, though in times of a declining economy new programs
that have yet to develop a strong constituency can be among the first to be
removed by the Legislature”. I could not
agree more, and this even furthers the point that our community needs to show
up in numbers, with our stories and ideas, to make addiction the number one
priority in the state.
You can register here online (earlier the better) at any one of these
public hearings in March
Mary went on to say that “Quite often, the hearings are the most
productive part of the process for smaller advocates, particularly those who
can tell a story and elicit sympathy.”
This anecdotal strategy is the core of the NCADD-NJ advocacy
program. Our Advocacy Organizers even
help you shape your testimony with helpful talking points if needed.
Here are
just a few of the programs funded over the past few years with good advocacy and a Governor that
understands addiction as a preventable and treatable health condition.
- · A massive drug court expansion for all 21 NJ counties
- · Accepting federal funds to expand health coverage through Medicaid
- · Continued expansion of services in the children’s system of care
- · Increased funding for treatment by $127 million dollars for behavioral health providers
- · Expanded use of naloxone (opiate blocker) in every NJ County and training for law enforcement.
- · $2.3 million in new funding to improve the way the State delivers services to people with drug addiction, moving away from fragmented treatment options to a single point of entry.
- · Reopening the Mid State Correctional Facility dedicated for inmates struggling with addiction
- · Recovery Coach Pilot Programs in hospitals
Here are a few of the Governor’s proposals this year for the
budget.
- · $2.8 million in funding to continue supporting the Recovery Coach Program
- · $64 million to ensure the continued success of the NJ Drug Court program.
- · Increasing funding by $1 million for college housing programs set up for students in recovery.
- · $12 million investment for residential services within the Department of Children and Families to allow 18-19 year old young adults to receive substance use services in their facilities.
- · Increased funding for treatment by $127 million dollars for behavioral health providers.
- · $5 million for the statewide expansion of a program aimed at improving the capability of primary care physicians to screen, care for, manage and increase access to mental health services for children with behavioral health conditions and addiction issues.
NCADD-NJ encourages our citizen advocates to tell your story and
advocate to better the chances to prevent, treat, and recover from addiction.
-Aaron Kucharski, NCADD-NJ Advocacy Coordinator
No comments:
Post a Comment