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Take Action
Systems Advocacy takes many forms: letters, emails and phone calls to local, state, and national legislators; registering to vote and voting; attending government sessions and public hearings; joining coalitions and groups who care about your issues and concerns; attending demonstrations; and being “civically” engaged. Below are tools for your advocacy toolbox.
See Advocacy Tips Below:
Maria Dibble
Over the years our Executive Director, Maria Dibble, developed an advocacy toolkit. There are as many different styles of advocacy as there are people, and there are innumerable tactics and strategies that groups can develop to successfully promote and achieve their issues and goals. Below is a list of some tips and strategies that can help people along the road to empowerment through advocacy.
Pat Green Gumson
Pat Green Gumson was the Director of the NYS DOH TBI Medicaid Waiver Program a few years ago. Before taking her job in Albany, Pat worked at STIC. Her skills at collaboration and advocacy were absolutely instrumental in the development of TBI waiver services. After retiring, she was the keynote speaker at a TBI Conference here at STIC. Below are her advocacy tips.
A Smorgasboard
(Take What You Like and Leave What You Don’t)
23 Advocacy Guidelines: A Tactful, No-Nonsense Approach
Alert 1
ERA amendment: In Fall, 2024 New York voters may be asked to decide whether New York amends its constitution to include an equal rights amendment. From the NYS Bar Association, “The New York State Constitution contains enumerated protections prohibiting discrimination based only on race and religion. This amendment would prohibit discrimination based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex, including their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. If passed, this will add state constitutional protections against disability discrimination by companies, institutions, the state and its agencies. This amendment will be on the back of your ballot.
Alert 2
Repeal Managed Care: A8470/S7800, the bill would repeal managed long term care provisions for Medicaid recipients. Write or call your legislators to let them know how you feel about managed care. The justification for this bill from the NYS Assembly Website: “New York State transitioned home care from a traditional fee-for-service model to a Medicaid managed care program or MLTC Plans in 2011…Under this model, New York State began paying managed care plans to manage and coordinate healthcare for several Medicaid services…The original intent was that MLTC plans would develop into fully capacitated plans over time. This has not happened. Instead, the majority of the services arranged are solely home care. Because of this “care coordination” is limited, and the plan administrative costs and profit are a drain on the Medicaid system. These resources could be reinvested to support the delivery of care through fee-for service and fully capitated models ensuring more uniform care for residents of the state, as well as more adequate reimbursement to providers to support wage increases. This will help to assist providers in addressing healthcare workforce challenges facing the state.” This bill was not included in the 2025 Budget.
Alert 3
Daniel’s Law: S2398/A2210, the bill would create a statewide emergency and crisis response council to work in conjunction with the commissioners of mental health and addiction services to jointly approve emergency and crisis services plans submitted by local governments, and provide supports regarding the operation and financing of high-quality emergency and crisis services provided to persons experiencing a mental health, alcohol use, or substance use crisis. This bill is named for Daniel Prude, a 41 year old African-American man, who was fatally injured after being physically restrained by police officers in Rochester, NY. Mr. Prude was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the incident and died of complications from asphyxia when he was held prone on the pavement while wearing a spit hood.
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