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On January 25th, 2005, there were eight buses from New York City going up to Albany for the NYAPRS (NY Assoc for Psych Rehab Services) Legislative Day. I left from Venture House, a clubhouse in Queens and I was both bus captain and team leader.

We discussed the issues on the bus going up. It was exciting to see many people involved in fighting for the same cause. When we got to Albany, we were welcomed by Kelly Adams from NYAPRS.

After breakfast, we went to the auditorium where we heard opening remarks from Ray Schwartz and Vuka Stricevic, the NYAPRS Public Policy Committee's Co-Chairs and from Steve Miccio, NYAPRS' co-president.

Following opening remarks, there was a role-play of a meeting with a legislator, which was very informative. My team met with Senator Morahan, Chair of the Senate Committee on Mental Health, for the first time.

NYAPRS has its Legislative Agenda, issues of concern to New York's mental health community. We learned of this year's budget cuts, which if not reversed, could have a severe impact on consumers' recovery. The Medicaid cuts are especially crucial as they may limit our ability to access psychological, dental and podiatric services which we need. We also discussed the Medicaid Preferred Drug List, the $3.9 million proposed cut to community mental health, the rightsizing of Middletown Psychiatric Center, our opposition towards renewal of Kendra's Law, necessary adult home reform measures, and passage of an OMH Housing Waiting List.

In the afternoon, I went to my first legislative appointment where my team met with Kevin Webb, Senator Frank Padavan's assistant. Mr. Webb knew the issues, so we didn't have to discuss each one at length. Our second appointment, with Ms. Rachel of Senator Serphin Maltese's office, went well also. We told them our personal stories of how these issues impact our lives. Both meetings were very positive.

I spoke to several consumers who were at the NYAPRS Legislative Day for the first time. They felt comfortable meeting with their legislators.

We learned the importance of advocacy. We spoke up for ourselves and we were heard. Maybe all of our concerns won't get answered this time, but we know that our cause is worth standing up for.