Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
Mental health care fiasco
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="tiredmommy" data-source="post: 312355" data-attributes="member: 1722"><p>Janet- It seems to me that this is a public health crisis and the state has turned it's back on this marginalized population. A class action suit by a zealous up & coming lawyer is needed beyond programming for the uninsured mentally ill.</p><p></p><p>Drug addicts and the mentally ill are often among the first to shoulder cuts because they don't have the organization or wherewithal to fight for their rights. AIDS was a huge problem among the drug-using population in Buffalo 15+ years ago due to the sharing of works among intravenous drug users and sex for drugs. The state DOH shirked it's responsibilities to the population by not actively seeking to cap the epidemic in culturally appropriate ways. I was involved in an volunteer organization that utilized a little-known state public health law and set-up a prevention program in the most highly impacted areas. The program included a needle-exchange, which was illegal. (Our motto was that dead addicts don't recover.) We didn't have access to a law firm to fight for the drug users rights, but we did know some sympathetic defense lawyers, so we started the needle exchange knowing that our volunteers would be arrested and charged. This gave us the opening to start the fight with the DOH in that our volunteers were acquitted on the grounds that we were only doing what the state had been remiss in providing in the face of a public emergency. We then showed that there was a bias against the impacted population and that the lack of programming and services equaled discrimination.</p><p></p><p>So, I guess what I'm saying is that you may be able to find a law or statute that will legally compel the state to provide funding. Good luck. It is an immoral and evil thing that is happening in your state.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tiredmommy, post: 312355, member: 1722"] Janet- It seems to me that this is a public health crisis and the state has turned it's back on this marginalized population. A class action suit by a zealous up & coming lawyer is needed beyond programming for the uninsured mentally ill. Drug addicts and the mentally ill are often among the first to shoulder cuts because they don't have the organization or wherewithal to fight for their rights. AIDS was a huge problem among the drug-using population in Buffalo 15+ years ago due to the sharing of works among intravenous drug users and sex for drugs. The state DOH shirked it's responsibilities to the population by not actively seeking to cap the epidemic in culturally appropriate ways. I was involved in an volunteer organization that utilized a little-known state public health law and set-up a prevention program in the most highly impacted areas. The program included a needle-exchange, which was illegal. (Our motto was that dead addicts don't recover.) We didn't have access to a law firm to fight for the drug users rights, but we did know some sympathetic defense lawyers, so we started the needle exchange knowing that our volunteers would be arrested and charged. This gave us the opening to start the fight with the DOH in that our volunteers were acquitted on the grounds that we were only doing what the state had been remiss in providing in the face of a public emergency. We then showed that there was a bias against the impacted population and that the lack of programming and services equaled discrimination. So, I guess what I'm saying is that you may be able to find a law or statute that will legally compel the state to provide funding. Good luck. It is an immoral and evil thing that is happening in your state. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
Mental health care fiasco
Top