Utah People, PLEASE help.

I just this email and I am REALLY concerned. Please, if you could dash off an email or get in a phone call, I would love you forever.

The Problem

In the Wasatch Mental Health Citizen's Advisory Board meeting today,Juergen Korbanka, Executive Director of Wasatch Mental Health, saidthat the Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee (HHS) ismeeting tomorrow morning at 11:00 am. They will be considering aproposal to cut 100% of the Autism funding for the various programsthroughout the state.

When asked about the GIANT Steps program [a Utah Valley Autism preschool], he said that if the autism funding is cut, they would have to immediately shut down the two classrooms that are funded from this money. In addition, they may have to shut down the third room (which receives its funding from Medicaid) or at least cut much of the staff because it would be difficult to justify the allocation of so many staff to so few clients.

What You Can Do

We need your assistance TODAY! DO IT NOW!

We need you to contact legislators on the HHS. Tell them of your opposition to this proposal. Tell them of the benefit this program has been to your child. Explain to them the principles of early-intervention and how it is critical in the lives of these young people to continue the program and that there are many more on the waiting list who also need this program.


Mr. Korbanka mentioned that there are three legislators on the HHS on whom we should focus our attention because they represent us in Utah County.

They are:

Rep. John Dougall - jdougall@utah.gov or 801-492-1365 (a co-chair ofthe committee)

Rep. Keith Grover - keithgrover@utah.gov or 801-319-0170

Sen. Margaret Dayton - mdayton@utahsenate.org or 801-221-0623

When the matter comes out of committee to a vote in the house and senate, you should also contact your local legislators to let them know how you feel too. To find who they are you may go to this address: http://gva1.utah.gov/elections/polling.aspx

The preferred method of contact is by personal phone call. Don't expect to get through to a live person, but be sure to leave a message; they are reviewed by the legislators and their staff. Sending a follow-up e-mail is also strongly encouraged. Numbers count so see if you can get everyone you know to do this too. We need to fight and inform our legislators of the folly of cutting this program that benefits a growing population of children who have autism.

Please be sensitive to the dilemma that the legislators are in. Because of the bad economy and declining revenues, they must makecuts; there is no way around it. However, the cuts should be "across the board" and not target specific programs. Endorse "horizontal" rather than "vertical" cuts. All of the programs work together to help the citizens of Utah. For further specific information about the proposed cuts, you may goto this web site which has a podcast of the previous HHS meeting along with links to documents detailing the proposed cuts:http://www.le.utah.gov/asp/interim/Commit.asp?Year=2009&Com=APPHHS


(Rachel again.)

I am begging any of you in Utah (or really anyone), please contact these legislators and your legislator. Most autism families rely solely on the school district, because insurance companies do not cover ANY autism treatment. To be brazenly honest, we pay over $4K a year out of our own pockets just for McKay to get speech tutoring with a BYU student (not even a fully-licenced therapist). I cannot even begin to imagine trying to pay for the needs of two boys with autism entirely out of our own pocket. And I know so many other families in this situation.

So what would happen? Most of these children would have to go without. So, in 10 years...1 in 90 boys will be out there without the therapy they need to live a full life. Already, even with the school district, there are some who need much much more than they can get currently. Imagine what would happen if this passed.

Already they have discontinued the Children With Special Health Care Needs division of the State Health Department this month. That was the division that dealt with autism, providing lower-cost evaluations and diagnoses. Often just a DIAGNOSIS can cost upwards of $1K. It still cost about half that, but at least there was some relief. So, autism helps are being stripped left and right.

Unaddressed mental health issues are huge contributing factors to poverty, homelessness, suicide, etc. Please, please, please send an email to your legislator urging them to think about this with some common sense.

I am completely sick over this.