UPCOMING EVENTS

June 12, 2012         My Medicaid Matters D/FW Area Meeting

INPUT OPPORTUNITIES

DARS Stakeholder Input Requested (2014-2015 LAR) - deadline June 1, 2012

My Medicaid Matters Texas Outreach and Education Campaign
Sign the My Medicaid Matters petition. 
Gather signatures on the MMM printable form. 
Send personal stories (good, bad & the ugly) to Joe Tate.
Visit the MMM website for more information.

Take Time Texas - DADS Caregiver Survey

COMMUNITY NOW! AT WORK

CN! board members and friends will travel to Washington to participate in the ADAPT National Action - April 21 - 25, 2012 - to educate elected officials.  The message: end the institutional bias and expand home and community based services. 

CN! members invited to attend the Allies in Self-Advocacy Summit on April 18 - 19, 2012. To view the Texas presentation and plan click here.

CN! hand delivers a letter to Gov. Perry's office requesting a meeting on ending the institutional bias. Read the letter. The meeting summary is in the April issue of the Community Now! newsletter. (March 13, 2012)

CN! leadership meets with DADS leadership - Following the January 18th press conference, members of Community Now! and ADAPT met with Chris Traylor, Commissioner of DADS; Chris Adams, Assistant Commissioner on State Supported Living Centers (SSLCs); and Jon Weizenbaum, Deputy Commissioner with DADS. The meeting was held on Febaury 10th to address information found in the Department of Justice (DOJ) Monitoring Team reports and the Medicaid budget for long-term care supports and services. Click here for the full article. View the Press Release here. View the Texas Tribune article here. 
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     IMPORTANT statement about Institutions (SSLC in Texas) vs Community
                            From the CEO of Austin Travis County Intergral Care 
                       Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities services
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LONG-TERM
CARE REFORM NEEDED IN TEXAS

JOIN THE MOVEMENT
The Disability Rights movement, an ongoing struggle by individuals who live life with a disability label to gain full citizenship is a civil rights issue. Many individuals, due to their disability have been denied equality, independence, autonomy and full access to society. For this to change we must organize and make the necessary sacrifices needed. If we can dream it, we can achieve it.
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 "The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein
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COMMUNITY NOW!
A Case For Long-term Care Systems Reform in Texas - Power Point presentation.

If you are a member of a support group or organization in your community, contact us. We would welcome an invitation to speak with your members. 

GRASSROOTS
ADVOCACY NEEDED
If not now, when? If not you, who?

To ORGANIZE & STENGTHEN grassroots advocacy efforts across Texas will require the work of many. Community Now! has four active coalitions - see below.

Austin Coalition
The Austin Coalition gets together at 6 pm the 1st Thursday of each month. Meetings held at the ADAPT office: 
1640A East Second, Street 
Austin, Texas

Contact: Joe Tate, Sara Watkins or 
David Wittie for more information.

Bryan, College Station
Contact: Jeff Garrison-Tate 
Corpus Christie
Contact: Barbara Sanders

Dallas/Fort Worth Area
Contact: Jeanne Cecil,
Michelle Dooley, or Cindi Paschall

Don't see a coalition in your community, contact us - we can help you get one started.