LEGAL ACTION CENTER

Need-to-Know News: Oct. 28, 2011

October 28, 2011

A big thanks to all of you who made the 2011 Arthur Liman Public Interest Awards Benefit a record-breaking event, both in attendance and in the total raised to support LAC's critical work. Follow this link to read the full story on the benefit, or make your gift today!
Policy experts from our National HIRE Network will be featured at the Drug Policy Alliance's International Drug Policy Reform Conference. Use these links to read more about the sessions, including "Making Sense of Drug Testing" on Nov. 3, and "Stemming the Tide in the States: TANF Drug Testing Bills" on Nov. 4.

State

An Assembly member and two congressmen spoke out this week against the new sex ed mandate for New York City schools.

National

The New York Times editorial board called on the Veterans Affairs Department to improve access to mental health care in the wake of survey results showing chronic inadequacies.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post editorial board urged Congress not to cut funding for critical juvenile justice programs.
Pennsylvania officials have begun a pilot project to determine the most effective length for substance use disorder treatment in state prisons after a study showed no difference in recidivism rates between three-month and six-month programs.
In a shift from a prevention-only focus on campus, nearly two dozen universities across the nation now have comprehensive recovery programs for students battling addiction.

The Drop the Rock Coalition is holding a meeting Nov. 3 in Manhattan, with a focus on parole and the aging prison population. Follow this link to learn more.
The 35th national conference of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA) will be held Nov. 3-5 in Arlington, Va. Use this link for for more information.
The National Action Network's Second Chance Committee is hosting "A Forum On Re-entry: Where Are We and Where Should We Be?" on Nov. 9 in Manhattan. Follow this link to read more on the event, which features advocates from many of our partner organizations.
Coming up on Nov. 10 is a New York State Assembly hearing on the merger of the Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) and the Division of Parole into the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). Follow this link for more information.
The Oct. 27 issue of Behavioral Healthcare features an article by Ron Manderscheid, executive director of National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDDD) and co-chair of the Coalition for Whole Health, which LAC also co-chairs. The article, "The Essential Health Benefit: Will Essential Become Minimal?"asserts that the recently released Institute of Medicine recommendations on the Essential Benefits Package fail to consider the long-term value of substance use disorder and mental health benefits.