NYS Council Opinion piece in today’s NYN First Read!!

June 25, 2024

Today’s New York Nonprofit Media First Read features an opinion piece I submitted last month on behalf of all NYS Council members regarding the commercial insurance mandate we secured in the recently enacted state budget. It is the lead item (below).

Please feel free to share this with your colleagues and post on social media platforms.  It’s good news worth sharing!  #NYSCouncilAdvocacyWorks! 

———- Forwarded message ———
From: NYN Media <editor@nynmedia.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 25, 2024 at 8:24 AM
Subject: NYN First Read
To: Lauri Cole <lauri@nyscouncil.org>

View this email in your browser 
Compiled by Angelique Molina-Mangaroo
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Opinion: New York is ending discriminatory insurance practices Imagine you’ve contracted a debilitating illness, so you try to find a doctor to treat you. Then you  find out that most healthcare providers won’t accept you as a patient because the insurance you have won’t adequately reimburse them for the cost of the treatment. As a result, you call every doctor in your community day after day, only to find that the list your insurance carrier gave you only included doctors not offering this care or others who aren’t even accepting new patients. For decades, this is the stark reality many individuals with commercial insurance coverage have encountered when seeking mental health or substance use disorder treatment in New York state. Why is this considered an acceptable standard for those living with mental illness or addiction? When left untreated, these medical conditions can have lasting detrimental impacts including premature death and permanent disability. For far too long, this discriminatory reimbursement practice has been a reality of life for millions of New Yorkers. Now, thanks to Gov. Hochul and the state Legislature, this discrimination will finally end. Read more here.  – Lauri Cole
The New York State Capitol Building in Albany, New York

ANEESE – GETTY
FROM NYN
Hot Bread Kitchen launches culinary arts program for newly arrived migrants The 2023 Nonprofit Power 100

TODAY’S BUZZ
Recognizing a pressing need for representation in literature, United Way of New York City (UWNYC), in partnership with the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition (EEAP) seized the opportunity to bridge the gap and created the Black Studies: An Education for Me + You initiative. The Bookmobile itself is a mobile museum that celebrates (and offers a sneak peek at) the forthcoming Black Studies: An Education for Me + You curriculum, which will be rolling out in New York City public schools starting next year. The Bookmobile has traveled throughout New York City since February 2024 and has made stops in all five boroughs, reaching over 4,000 students and distributing over 10,000 free books. The tour featured exclusive conversations with Black authors and storytellers including Councilmember Yusef Salaam, Jacqueline Woodson and Marlon Peterson, as well as remarks from local elected officials and public figures such as Chancellor Lestor Young, City Council Member Sandy Nurse and more. A message from SUNY Empire State CollegeIs a graduate degree worth it for you? With SUNY Empire, it’s probably a yes. Why? First, all our programs are online and flexible. Perfect for busy adults like you. You also get the SUNY reputation for quality and affordability. You have options too. We offer more than 30 graduate programs and advanced certificates in a variety of subject areas (business, education, nursing, graduate-level liberal arts and science, and more). Learn more at sunyempire.edu/graduate-studies/

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
Health and Mental Hygiene: The department awarded $11,987,326 to the Federation of Organizations for The New York State for mental health assertive community treatment.

TOP NEWS New train cars are coming to the Staten Island Railway for the first time in 50 years – but MTA officials couldn’t estimate when passengers will be able to ride them (Gothamist) … Nassau County officials on Monday voted in favor of a controversial ban that bars transgender girls and women from participating in local sports teams. But the county will now face multiple legal challenges from civil rights groups and top Democrats in the state (Gothamist) … In an effort to thwart gun violence in the city, NYC Public Schools released an email last week to parents providing information and resources on how to safely store firearms in the home. The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention created the federal resources to give parents more information on how to better maintain and store firearms in an effort to avoid unintentional gun discharges (amNY) … Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue announced a new initiative to build more public pools and improve existing infrastructure in the five boroughs. “Let’s Swim NYC” is a more than $1B investment in swimming infrastructure, the highest since the 1970s. In light of this initiative, the Brooklyn nonprofit organization Inclusive Community Wellness Inc. urges New York City officials to review the proposal to bring an Olympic quality flagship facility to the city, ideally in Queens or Brooklyn (amNY) … Math instruction is the latest problem New York City officials are trying to solve. Middle and high schools are adopting standardized math curriculums in hopes of addressing stark racial disparities in state test scores, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday (Chalkbeat)

ANALYSIS Teachers’ union withdraws its support for medicare advantage pact, following retiree election upset (THE CITY)

OPINION LGBTQ rights vs. human trafficking (Daily News)