Weekly Update - November 28, 2011

Editorial:  Budget Charade Begins 

December 2, 2011 marks the official start of the public budget process for those of us who are concerned about the health and well being of our fellow citizens.   

Let me point out, for the record, that the FY13 budget process has been underway for 5 months.  If the usual schedule was in place this year, agencies submitted their FY13 budgets to the Executive Office of  Administration and Finance in September.  A&F is now reconciling these numbers with the fiscal reality as seen by Secretary Jay Gonzales.

The annual right of EOHHS executives listening to the people is admirable, but also misleading.  EOHSS chief Dr. JudyAnn Bigby has said on numerous similar sessions over the last five years that the administration uses "values based" judgment in deciding budgets.   

I have a problem reconciling that statement with the commitment to the so-called Community First Olmstead Plan that has seen the administration make drastic cuts in community based services while maintaining and even expanding institutional budgets for nursing facilities and mental hospitals. 

For example, the Governor's budget has eliminated the $85,000 for the Housing Registry for the last 2 fiscal years; Clubhouses have been cut and would have been decimated without legislative support; the Adult Day Health program faced elimination and then a veto after the legislature restored funds.  Independent living, Deaf & hard of hearing, supportive living, homemakers, home care for elders, and so on all have been underfunded by this administration.  All of which has lead me to use the phrase Community Next-to-Last.  

Nonetheless, please make your case on December 2 and December 9.  There's always the GOTCHA that says if you don't show up, the bureaucrats can make their decisions without any sense of guilt.

On the Calendar:  Take Back the  

                                 Capitol

This December: Take Back the Capitol
 

I would like to personally invite you to join thousands of 99%-ers who are coming to Washington, DC December 5-9 to "Take Back The Capitol" from Corporate Control.

December is a big month in Washington. Congress is set to deliberate the extension of unemployment benefits for more than 2 million people - and the Super-Committee is discussing devastating cuts that could destroy millions of jobs. We can have a real impact!

Interested? Click here to sign up and we'll be in touch with more information: http://bit.ly/s1wItD

It's time for the 99% to be a visible, peaceful presence on Capitol Hill. By day we'll show up at Congressional hearings and the offices of K Street lobbyists, and by night we'll crash in church auditoriums, union halls, and in tents around the Capitol. It's not a luxury trip, but meals, housing and transportation will be provided.

Our goal: to remind Congress they represent ALL Americans - not just the richest 1%!

Calendar: Employment Now Dec 2

Employment NOW Coalition

If you are a person with a disability, family member, employer, someone who works in the disability field, or just interested in learning more, your perspectives are welcome!  

Please join us for the next meeting of the

 Employment NOW Coalition

When: Friday, December 2, 2011

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Where: Easter Seals Of Mass. Conference Room

484 Main Street, Worcester MA

Accessible by all local downtown Worcester bus routes, 3 blocks from Union Station (Commuter Rail)

Parking is available.  

Requests for ASL interpreters, CART, Braille, and other accommodations can be made by calling DeAnn at

(617) 542-3822 or by emailing delliott@employmentnowcoalition.org by Monday, November 28th.

If you would like to be a part of a positive movement for change and you are not able to join us in person you can call in at 866-244-8528 participant code 821470 pound.  

For more information or to become a member of ENC visit us at  www.employmentnowcoalition.org or call . . . at (617) 542-3822.  

The Employment Now Coalition (ENC) is a Massachusetts statewide cross-disability advocacy group that works to identify and address barriers to full employment for people with disabilities. Through regular meetings, committee work, legislative action, and partnerships with other organizations, the ENC brings together consumers and their families, job developers, state agencies, private non-profit organizations, town disability commissions, and other interested parties to promote a pro-employment message, break down barriers through education, and advocate for consumer-friendly policies.

Calendar: EOHHS Budget Hearings

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) will be conducting two public hearings on the upcoming Fiscal Year 2013 budget. Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, M.D., and the Assistant Secretaries at EOHHS are looking forward to hearing the views of members of the community regarding the agencies under their purview.  The hearings will be held on:

Friday, December 2, 2011 from 3:00-6:00 p.m.

Department of Mental Health Western Massachusetts Area Office

Northampton Haskell Building

1 Prince Street

Northampton, MA 01061

Friday, December 9, 2011 from 2:00-6:00 p.m.   

McCormick Building

One Ashburton Place, 21st Floor

Boston, MA 02108

Since FY09, the Patrick-Murray Administration, in partnership with the Legislature, has solved over $14 billion in cumulative budgetary shortfalls.  Because of several one-time revenue sources and the continued demand for services, FY13 will be challenging and require cuts and reductions and the need for the Administration to make difficult decisions. 

To overcome this budget challenge, we will need to work together to reexamine all public services and their delivery and find innovative solutions so that we can continue our mission with minimal disruption. Governor Patrick, Secretary Bigby and all of us at EOHHS are seeking your input about the best ways to preserve core services to the fullest extent possible without additional expenditures. 

Due to the number of individuals anticipated to attend the hearings, oral testimony will be limited to three minutes per individual. In the interest of time, representative panels are welcome and will be limited to a total of five minutes of oral testimony.  If you need accommodations please call 617-573-1600 and let the receptionist know.  Additionally, if you are planning to present oral testimony at the Boston hearing, please note that you must be in the building by no later than 5:50 p.m.

Written testimony is also strongly encouraged and may be mailed to:

Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, EOHHS

One Ashburton Place, Room 1109, Boston, MA 02108

Or emailed to:  eohhshearings@massmail.state.ma.us

News from the Net: Double Jeopardy

Double Jeopardy is a two-minute video of highlights of an Action for Boston Community Development seminar on Health, Race and Disability disparities.  It features Gayle Johnson, Union of Minority Neighborhoods, Rick Glassman, Disability Law Center, Derrick Dominique, Multicultural Independent Living Center of Boston. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xrupiBaIek