05/26/2022
To all NY State LCATs and those who care about making mental health care more accessible for everyone: I copied the following appeal from Maria Hodermarska, MA, RDT-BCT, CASAC, LCAT
Clinical Associate Professor of Drama Therapy at NYU. Please take a moment to contact Gov. Hochul in support of this bill that would require health insurance companies to cover the services of LCATs and other mental health professionals. It only takes a minute, and this is a crucial moment for our profession!
We urgently need your help. Yesterday, A1171A passed the Senate and Assembly!!
This NYS legislation requires private insurance companies to cover services by LCATs —a huge step forward in achieving parity between art therapists and other mental health professions in the state.
We only have a 30 day window to advocate.
Now, the bill goes to the governor of New York for her signature. The last time this was passed in 2019 (A670A), it was vetoed by Governor Cuomo. We CANNOT ALLOW THE GOVERNOR TO VETO THIS AGAIN. We need to act fast to ensure that Governor Kathy Hochul signs the bill into law in its current form. As you may be aware, the governor recently excluded creative art therapists specifically from a similar bill, S7761, which expanded Medicaid coverage to include licensed mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists.
ACT NOW! Contact Governor Kathy Hochul and urge her to sign A1171A into law in its current form! Now more than ever, all New Yorkers need access to mental health services, including art therapy.
There is a limited time to convince the Governor.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW:
Use the template message below, or share your own story about why Governor Hochul must sign A1171A to support mental health care.
Contact her online, via phone, or send her a letter in the mail. OR, CHOOSE TO DO ALL THREE!
Post this call for action on all your social media outlets.
Encourage family, friends, colleagues and clients to reach out to the Governor to ensure insurance coverage.
NYU Programs in Art Therapy and Drama Therapy are compiling video testimonials for a brief PSA to flood on social media. If you would like to record a brief video, please be in touch. If you have clients or colleagues willing to record a video, please be in touch.
Online:
https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form
By phone:
1-518-474-8390
Through the mail:
The Honorable Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Sample message for a letter or phone conversation:
Governor Hochul,
I am a Licensed Creative Art Therapist (LCAT) in __[YOUR CITY]_____, NY, and provide essential mental healthcare to many New Yorkers. I am writing to express my support for A1171A in its current form, which requires private insurance companies to cover mental health services, including creative arts therapies. From the increase in mental health issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, to the racial trauma so many are experiencing, and the seemingly unending waves of violence in New York and the rest of the nation, now is the time to expand access to affordable mental health care. Creative arts therapists are credentialed mental health clinicians with Master’s level (or higher) degrees trained in a creative art discipline (art, dance, drama, music, poetry) and therapy that serve diverse communities. Creative arts therapies are particularly effective during times of crisis, especially in coping with isolation, changes in circumstance, trauma, and grief—and with people struggling to benefit from talk therapy interventions.
Please sign A1171A in its current form today and allow New Yorkers to have access to mental health services, especially as we face a mental health crisis in our state and across the country!
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME AND CREDENTIALS]
HOME ADDRESS
EMAIL ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER
Let's get this done finally. New York State needs more coverage for creative arts therapies.
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Maria Hodermarska, MA, RDT-BCT, CASAC, LCAT
Clinical Associate Professor of Drama Therapy
Executive Producer, NYU Drama Therapy As Performance Series
Program in Drama Therapy
New York University
Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions
School of Culture, Education and Human Development
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