Calling All Recovery Advocates: 2015 Rally for Addiction and Mental Health Recovery

Salt Lake City, UT – Friday, March 6, 2015

USARA and NAMI Utah host 7^th Annual RALLY FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY!

Pre-Rally Event: 11:00 a.m. WALK TO REMEMBER – Lives Lost from Addiction and Mental Illness. Walk begins on south side steps of Utah State Capitol Building, once around the Capitol grounds in silence.

Where: Utah State Capitol Rotunda

Time:     11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Why:     To raise public awareness for issues impacting Utahns who live with substance use disorders and/or mental illness, and to support current legislation that will increase access to medical care, treatment and recovery services.

Who:    Invited speakers include: Senator Brian Shiozawa, Representative Eric Hutchings, behavioral health community leaders, people in recovery and family members. We invite all Utahns to join together in support of those who live with the challenges of addiction and mental illness and to celebrate the successes in their Recovery!

Details on Critical Issues:

In 2014 the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (dsamh.utah.gov) reported numbers of Utahns in need of treatment and the actual number of clients able to access public funding for behavioral health services are as follows:

• Substance Use Disorder (SUD) – 146,841 adults and youth needed treatment, while only 16,219 clients were served.
• Mental Health Condition (MH) – 189,369 adults and youth needed treatment, while only 48,528 clients were served.
• Utah State Prison Relocation. While discussions about the prison move ensue, we believe that any changes for building a new prison should be undertaken only in concert with a major criminal justice reform.
• Justice Reinvestment Initiative (HB348). We applaud Governor Herbert and the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) who worked with the Pew Public Safety Performance Project to conduct a full review of Utah’s criminal justice system. As a result, policy analysts from Pew examined data from the court system and Department of Corrections to assess what factors are driving the growth of Utah’s prison population – largely due to re-incarceration for non-violent behavioural health related conditions. Based on Pew’s data analysis, CCJJ staff worked in collaboration with state corrections, judicial and law enforcement agency directors and community treatment partners to craft a Utah-specific package of reform policies to help bend our prison growth curve downward. We support HB348 and believe CCJJ has created a well-developed plan for Utah’s reform of our criminal justice system.
• The statistics indicate that over the past six years the critical need for SUD and MH treatment is increasing while funding allocations to statewide behavioral health providers is decreasing.

We Support Healthy Utah SB164: Utah’s health care crisis deserves critical attention from our Utah legislators, who have the power to determine how Utahns will access health care for medical care and behavioral health treatment. Over the past several years, funding cuts for behavioral health services have seriously reduced treatment access for thousands of Utah citizens. When services aren’t available for people with a chronic and debilitating illness, the need is not deterred or diminished. Services end up being consumed in more costly, less effective settings such as emergency rooms, jails and prisons. We believe with access to a comprehensive health care plan, previously uninsured, hardworking Utahns would have a greater chance to recover and live full and productive lives.   People with substance use disorders and mental health conditions that engage in services to assist them in maintaining recovery are able to return to work and/or attend school, improving the overall quality of their lives and the lives of those around them. Ensuring that children and adults get the appropriate care, in the appropriate setting and in a timely manner is good for all Utahns.

We Support Criminal Justice Reform: Two proposed bills for the 2015 legislative session promote excellent possibilities for real criminal justice reform that could actually reduce our prison population by up to 25% in the next decade.

For more information on the Rally for Addiction and Mental Health Recovery or to schedule an interview please contact:

Mary Jo McMillen, Executive Director

USARA (Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness)

385.210.0320

Email: maryjo@myusara.com

www.myusara.com

Jamie Justice, Executive Director

NAMI-Utah (National Alliance on Mental Illness-Utah)

801.869.2880

Email: jamie@namiut.org

www.namiut.org