Updates

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December 2009

Posted 12/08/09

Subject: Survey of Contributions

Hello Everyone,
As we discussed at our last RHC meeting we are trying to add something to our information as to how Recovery Homes work to increase revenue to the State. In the past we have focused on how much treatment saves the State by not having to spend money on other services. What we have failed to do is show how much our clients contribute back into the system as they once again become contributing members of society. We are trying to quantify this by asking you to fill out the survey as best you can. We are gathering data on taxes they are paying child support court fines and fees etc. All of which goes directly into the State coffers. Please respond as soon as possible so we can have this data for the legislative breakfast and the current budget discussions. The survey is attached.

Thanks  

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

November 2009

Posted 11/23/09

HIPPA Information

Posted 11/20/09

Posted 11/04/09

Nice opportunity for staff to attend this conference.  Please pass along

Michael Botticelli
Director, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA  02108
 
Opportunity - CSAT Travel Awards
  
CSAT Travel Awards
The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) will sponsor up to 30 Travel Awards for substance abuse treatment practitioners to attend the 2010 College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) meeting [June 12-17]. All expenses will be covered: i.e., conference registration, airfare, travel to and from the airport, and hotel accommodation. To be eligible, candidates must hold full-time employment as a director or clinical supervisor in a substance abuse treatment program and not be an employee of the federal government.  Further, your direct supervisor will need to agree to allow you to attend if you are selected. Only one award will be given to any specific program. Previous CSAT travel award recipients are not eligible to apply. Applicants will be sent e-mails by the end of March indicating award status.

To apply go to:
http://www.cpdd.vcu.edu/Pages/Index/Awards/TravelDescrip.html and scroll down the page. You need to complete the online application submission for 2010. The process requires uploading the following in PDF format:

1. An up-to-date resume including contact information, previous travel fellowships, if applicable, work experience and academic experience. Please use "your last name_resume", e.g., Jones_resume in the attachment name.

2. A one-page letter of application on institutional letterhead indicating interest in receiving an award and including a statement as to how this conference will benefit your work in your current position. Please include a valid telephone number and e-mail address. Please use "your last name_applicationletter", e.g., Jones_applicationletter in the attachment name.

All awardees will need to fax a letter from their supervisor stating that if you are selected you will be allowed to attend the meeting. We will contact you about faxing this information.

Complete applications must be received on or before January 10, 2010.  Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants are required to arrive prior to 4:30 PM on June 11, attend a networking session sponsored by CSAT on the evening of June 11, the CSAT-sponsored satellite session on June 12, which will focus on linkages to primary health care, a breakfast sponsored by CPDD for the awardees on June 13, and remain for the entire CPDD meeting.

For further inquiries, e-mail mh235@columbia.edu or send a
note to Dr. Meg Haney, Chair CPDD Travel Awards Committee,
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051
Riverside Drive, #120, New York, NY 10032

 

October 2009

Posted 10/30/09

Update on the budget cuts. Please note that this is for the 2010 fiscal year not for 2011 where we still face the possibility of heavy cuts. Its still good news though.

Today, Governor Patrick announced $277 million in FY 2010 9C budget cuts. The Governor also requested expanded 9C powers from the Legislature to make an additional $75 million in 9C cuts to non-executive agencies. The Governor's proposal also includes "limited additional revenues, a modest amount of federal recovery funds, and a $60 million FY 09 surplus..." To read the Governor's press release, click here:  Governor's Press Release

In total, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services was cut by$82.4 million; this represents a 2% cut. The Department of Mental Health was cut by $10.3 million and the Department of Children and Families was cut by $9.6 million. There were NO cuts to the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services primary line items, although $500,000 was cut from line item 4512-0225 (compulsive gamblers' treatment program).

At this point, MassHealth is not included in the 9C budget reductions (with the exception of a $3.5 million cut to the MassHealth administrative account). However, we do anticipate that cuts to MassHealth will be made in the near future.  

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 10/29/09

Posted 10/14/09

Hi All
I have attached a copy of the information sent to us by Michael Levy regarding the Smartphones. At our last Collaborative meeting several Houses expressed an interest in becoming involved with this project.. If you are interested or want further information you can contact Michael Levy. They are looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 10/06/09

Hello All,
There will be "9c" cuts from this years budget probably announced around the 15th of October. As well they are looking at as much as a15% cut in the budget for fiscal year 2011
Attached are the questions from EOHHS seeking input as to what we think should or could be cut or other strategy's.
Please read and comment.
Thanks

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

September 2009

August 2009

Posted 08/03/09

For your information and action.

The Campaign  for Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Repeal the Sales Tax Exemption on  Alcohol
The package liquor store  industry is going to try to overturn the repeal of the sales tax exemption on  alcohol through a ballot initiative.  We will be back in touch with more  information about this effort later.  However, the Boston Globe is running  an online poll now which asks only one question:

Do you think alcohol should be taxed in  MA?

As of this morning, 66 percent of the 1,567 people who  voted said “NO”
and only 34 percent voted “YES”.

Action  Requested

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

July 2009

Posted 07/31/09

Hello everyone
See below for the monies restored in the legislature but needs to be signed by the Governor. Thanks for all your help keep it coming.

The Campaign  for Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
Call The  Governor!!
On July 29th,  the  House and Senate passed an $80 million FY 2010
supplemental budget.   Within that supplemental budget is the restoration of $40
million in  gubernatorial vetoes.
Thank  you for contacting your legislators in support of substance abuse
funding.  As we all know, this is a very difficult economic time for  the
Commonwealth.  Despite the fact that the Legislature restored less than
one-third of the Governor’s  vetoes, funding for Secure Treatment Facilities for
Opiate  Addiction and the new BSAS Substance Abuse Family Intervention and
Care  Program Pilot was restored. in part. Your efforts made a  difference!!
The  supplemental budget has been sent to the Governor. In  Massachusetts,
the Governor has line-item veto authority, so he may  approve the
supplemental budget in whole, approve it in part by vetoing  individual line items or
portions of line items, amend items, or reject it  completely.

Of  interest:

Line  item/program
FY  ’10 Conference Committee (before veto)
Veto  Amount
FY  2010 Supplemental Budget
New  Total
4512-0202  (BSAS)
Secure  Txt Facilities for Opiate Addiction
$4,000,000
$2,000,000
$800,000
$2,800,000
4512-0203  (BSAS)
Substance  Abuse Family Intervention & Care Program  Pilot
$2,000,000
$1,000,000
$500,000
$1,500,000
Section  32A
Bridgewater  MASAC
Language  included in the supplemental budget states that the “Department
of  Correction shall not suspend, terminate, reduce services or  otherwise
divert clients of the Massachusetts alcohol and substance  abuse center” until
the DOC files a displacement plan for the  center’s clients to the House
and Senate Committees on Ways and  Means, the Joint Committee on Public Safety
and homeland security  and the Joint Committee on Mental Health and
Substance
Abuse.  Any such plan cannot take effect sooner than 90  days following the
filing of the plan.

Action  Requested
1. Give yourself a  round of applause for contacting the Legislature and asking them to  override the Governor’s vetoes.
2 . Call your  Representative(s) and Senator(s) and thank them for their support of  substance abuse funding in the FY 2010 supplemental budget. If you  are unsure who your Legislator is or if you need contact information,  click _here_ (http://capwiz.com/mhsacm/state/main/?state=MA) .
3. Call Governor Patrick (617-725-4000).  One of  his staff members will answer the phone. Give the staff member your  name, title and the organization for which you work. Then tell them  you’re calling in reference to the FY 2010 supplemental budget  and ask him to support:
                      1. Funding for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (line  items
                          4512-0202 and 4512-0203)
                      2. The requirement that there be a plan for the care and  treatment
                          of individuals currently under the care of the Massachusetts  Alcohol and
                          Substance Abuse Center (MASAC) (Section 32A)
 

Posted 07/24/09

Posted 07/24/09

Please call the statehouse and help insure that these vetoes are overridden in the House and Senate.
 

Posted 07/08/09

Posted 07/08/09

Posted 07/02/09

June 2009

Posted 06/29/09

Posted 06/26/09

Good News! The latest out of the Governors office is that he is going to sign the budget as it is with the sales tax exemption on alcohol approved. This will fund the substance abuse line items and should remain a dedicated stream for our programs going forward.

Thanks for all your hard work.

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 06/25/09

Hello All,

It gives me great pleasure to be able to announce that Senate President Therese Murray has accepted our invitation to be our guest of honor and guest speaker at our annual Recovery Homes Collaborative of Mass. gratitude luncheon to be held at Florian Hall on Hallet St Dorchester, September 17th 2009 from Noon to 4pm.

It might behoove all of us to send out "Save the Date" letters to all of those that we will be inviting to sit at our tables. Keep in mind that this is an election year so the response should be good.

 We will be looking for suggestions/nominations for the other awards at our RHC meeting on the 14th.We usually have someone from criminal justice, someone from the treatment field, and someone from the Western part of the state to recognize for their contribution to the mission of the RHC. Please give some thought to this and bring any ideas you may have to the next meeting. (Not trying to fast forward the summer but the luncheon usually creeps up on us pretty fast.)  (Naturally the guests of honor will be sitting at the Recovery Homes Collaborative table.)  

Thanks

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 06/22/09

Posted 06/19/09

Posted 06/10/09

Posted 06/08/09

Posted 06/08/09

Posted 06/05/09

Posted 06/04/09

Posted 06/02/09

May 2009

Posted 05/20/09

Just as an update
The repeal of the sales tax exemption on alcohol combined with the increase in the sales tax will raise an estimated 115 million dollars to support substance abuse treatment and other programs.
In addition, the Senate voted to restore funding to the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services at $7 million above the federal Maintenance of Effort requirement, including the restoration of BSAS step-down services (4512-0201).

Thanks

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 05/20/09

Hi All,
Thanks to the work of a lot of people, certainly including the members of the Recovery Homes Collaborative, the Senate passed the repeal of the sales tax exemption on alcohol last night to be dedicated to substance abuse programs and other health programs.
Thanks to all of you who called, wrote, e-mailed, visited your Senators to get this passed. Please now contact those same Senators and thank them for their support.
However our work is far from over. The bill will now go to the conference committee with the House, which did not pass the repeal of the exemption, to be reconciled before they send it to the Governor.
Please contact your legislators in the House and Senate as well as the Speaker of the House and the Senate Presidents office and ask them to contact the members of the House/Senate Conference Committee and tell them they support the passage of the Senate version of the repeal of the sales tax exemption on alcohol to be dedicated to Substance Abuse treatment programs. We need to do this! Thanks again for your work. We will keep you posted.     

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 05/14/09

Hi All

The Senate Ways and Means committee issued their budget recommendations for 2010. It's pretty grim. Basically it amounts to an overall cut of 44% in Substance Abuse funding for 2010. This includes a cut of over 17 million dollars in federal matching grants for falling below the Maintenance of Effort. We have our work cut out for us to get these funds restored. We will be working with the coalition to do so. Right now there are several Senators being approached to sponsor Amendments to restore funding as well as sponsoring Amendments to repeal the alcohol tax to fund Substance Abuse services. As soon as we have information as to who the sponsors will be (One of them we know will be Senator Marian Walsh for the alcohol tax) and what the bill numbers are we will let you know and you can get everyone you know to call, e-mail, fax and visit your Senator as well as any other Senator you can think of and certainly the Senate Presidents office. If we don't do this the impact on the people looking to us for help will be horrific. We'll be in touch.

Thanks 

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 05/12/09

Here's the information on the plan to ask the Senate to repeal the sales tax exemption on alcohol and use it to support Substance Abuse treatment. If we can get it into the conference committee we have support on the House side for it. Please find out who your Senator is and contact him or her by phone, fax and e-mail. I cannot stress how important this is. The budget the senate is putting out will be a scorched earth budget. Their will be calls for tax increases but their will be howls against any tax increase. They must know that their is support out their for them.

                                                                                       Action Alert            MOAR Calendar

Thanks,

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 05/07/09

Posted 05/01/09

Hi
Below is the consolidated Public Health amendment Substance Abuse line item as it passed the House last night. As you can see it restores about 12.5 million to the line item and puts it almost back to where it was after the 9c cuts. Please call and thank your legislator for their support in getting this through. However this is not over by a long shot. It still has to go to the Senate, probably conference committee, and then the Governor. We will still be supporting any and all efforts to increase funding for Substance Abuse services either through a dedicated alcohol tax or gambling revenues etc. Thanks for your support and once again contact your Reps and thank them as well.

4512-0200 For the division of substance abuse services, including a program to reimburse driver alcohol education programs for services provided for court adjudicated indigent clients; provided, that no funds shall be expended in the AA object class; provided further, that not less than $250,000 shall be expended for the Latino After School Initiative; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for the operation of Learn to Cope; and provided further, that the department shall not reduce the amount allocated to a program listed in this item as appearing in section 2 of chapter 182 of the acts of 2008 by more than twenty per cent in fiscal year 2010........................................................................................................$75,924,448

Robert L. Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

April 2009

Posted 04/29/09

Please see the attached. We still have a long way to go. Keep calling and e-mailing your Reps and Senators.

Thanks
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Alcohol Tax Brochure and  Action Alert

Posted 04/17/09

Attached please find a brochure done up by the coalition that you can use to send out to friends and family and supporters and legislators.

Thanks

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 04/17/09

Hello All,

Please call your legislators and ask them to contact Representative Liz Malia's office to sign on to the Amendment to restore funding to the Substance Abuse line-item.
Also, ask them to call Rep Jim O'Day's office to sign on to the amendment to remove the alcohol sales tax exemption to create a Substance Abuse fund. The amendments have to go in today so theses calls need to be made ASAP.

Thanks

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
Quincy MA 02169
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 04/16/09

Just to update you on what is going on.

We have received information from the BSAS that the budget cuts along, with the loss of federal dollars due to the budget being below the federal "Maintenance of Effort", will amount to $26,432,820 a cut of 32% off last years budget. This is of course unacceptable and cannot stand. We are working together with MOAR,  MHSACM The Hospitals and others to put in amendment to restore the money back to what it was as well as amendments supporting the alcohol tax. Please also keep in mind that, now that the Gambling piece is back on the table, that part of the proposal for gambling included language that dedicated 5% of the gross receipts  to addiction services.

As soon as we have some numbers for the amendments we will be contacting you to call, e-mail, and visit your legislators to get these monies restored. If we don't do it there will be nothing left of the services we have worked so long and hard to get in place.

Thanks,

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Posted 04/15/09

The House Ways and Means budget just came out and they have cut Substance Abuse treatment by 22%! Our line item has been reduced by 17 million dollars from 80 million to 63 million. All earmarks have been removed. This means that we really have our work cut out for us to get these moneys restored. We really need to push the alcohol tax and any new revenues that will serve the purpose. It means that all of us HAVE TO contact our legislators and get them to the Legislative breakfast Thursday the 23rd at the State house. we really need to push for their support. BSAS cannot sustain a cut of this size without affecting our services.
Thanks

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

February 2009

Posted 02/24/09

Meeting Agenda

RLM/edd

January 2009

Posted 01/30/09

Hi everyone.
I got this from Mike today after meeting with him and others who are part of the Governors "consolidated line item" in the new budget. I will be sending a separate e-mail to let you know more about how we made out in "House #1". suffice to say that we did pretty good. Please note that it will all depend on the passage of the "Wellness Fund" package so we must get our legislators involved.

Bob Monahan PhD LADAC I
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative of Mass.

ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

As you may be aware, as part of the Governor's proposal to close the ever-widening budget gap and to forestall further reductions to substance abuse prevention and treatment services, he introduced legislation (attached) that would remove alcohol from the current sales tax exemption when purchased for off-site consumption.  Massachusetts is only one of six states that exempt alcohol from a sales tax for off-site consumption.

This proposal, when combined with removing the sales tax exemption for candy and sweetened beverages, would raise over $121m annually and would create the Commonwealth Wellness Fund to support a variety of vital public programs including substance abuse prevention and treatment services.  Even with this new revenue, the Governor's budget still had to make devastating reductions to many core public health programs, including a 42% reduction to our Tobacco Control Program.  As proposed in the Governor's Budget, 86% of the Bureau's appropriation is funded from the Commonwealth Wellness Fund.  In addition, we all know the public health benefits that result from even a small increase in the price of alcohol including reduced frequency and quantity of underage drinking, lower binge drinking among youth and adults, reduction in drunk driving and traffic fatalities to name just a few.  I have attached a document from the Center for Science in the Public Interest that details the health benefits of a tax.

As you can see from today's Globe article passage of this legislation will not be easy and the opposition is already in full swing.

I am asking that you mobilize your membership and constituencies to call your legislators, the Speaker of the House and the Senate President expressing your support for the legislation.  Many of belong to professional organizations and I would ask to you speak with them about a public endorsement of the legislation.  

Your voice now, more than ever, is needed.  Without this new revenue source, we risk losing all the progress we have made over the past few years in expanding services.

As always, your help is greatly appreciated.  Please let me know what the Bureau can do to help these efforts.

Michael

Posted 01/30/09

Hi All,
I attended the meeting held by Mike Botticelli and those who will be affected by the Governors "Consolidated Line Item" budget in House #1. Myself representing the Collaborative, MHSACM, Director of Tobacco Control, Lobbyists from American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Mass Municipal Assoc., Dave Mattedeo from the Hospitals and a representative from the Commissioner's office as well as several other Tobacco prevention and Cessation programs were present.
If you go online you will see that the Governors budget has consolidated several line items: 4512-0200 Substance Abuse, 4512-0201  Step Down Programs, 4512-0202 Oxycontin Jail Diversion programs, 4512-0225 Gamblers Treatment Program, and 4590-0300 Smoking Cessation/Prevention Programs into one line item 4510-0700 Addiction and Tobacco Control Services funded at $92,146,883
At the meeting Mike broke down the line item as it will be allocated by Admin and Finance. Without going into the numbers suffice to say that Substance Abuse will be funded in FY 10 budget at about 2 Mill more than it was after the 9c cuts. Gambling will remain as it is and Tobacco will lose 42% of its funding in the new line item. Obviously given the current economic situation this is very good news to we in the Recovery Homes Collaborative. However, it is all predicated on the passage and implementation of the "Wellness Fund" which contains the "repeal of the sales tax exemption on alcohol, candy, and soft drinks." (they are not calling it a tax!) If this is not passed then all bets are off and we are back to square one. This means that we must  get in contact with all of our local, and regional Representatives and Senators to educate them to support this new fund. Get your Board members graduates, friends family and those who support Recovery to do so as well. If we do not do this we will definitely lose as we are already facing strong opposition to any increase. Find out who your Reps and Senators are and call write and visit them. Right now the House of Reps is in flux and transition but as soon as we can find out who is on what committee we will be in touch with you for letters and calls to the appropriate members. I cannot overly stress the importance of getting involved with your legislators if you want your program funded. Do not wait. Do it now. The  opposition are already working against it.

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative  

Posted 01/30/09

Hi All,
This is a follow up to the Dept of Corrections Residential outreach from last month. We already have a few programs interested in attending but they are looking for more to participate particularly in the Relationship Building and Residential Recovery Home Representatives group. Please look at the attachments and we'll talk about it at the next RHC meeting.

Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative

Housing Forum Registration

HRF Flier for Staff 01/22/09

Posted 01/07/09

Posted 11/28/08

A New Meeting Place

The new location for Recovery Homes Collaborative of Massachusetts meetings on the 2^nd Tuesday of every Month at 1:00 is at:

Modern Assistance Programs, Inc

1458 Hancock Street

Quincy MA  02169

617-774-0331

MAP is located at 1458 Hancock St. third floor in downtown Quincy. 

Only a block from Quincy Center T station on the Red Line.  Near intersection of Routed 128, 93, and 3.

Click here for directions