Reject Drug Medi-cal budget cuts! Immediate action necessary!

The California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors urges you to take immediate action to help stop budget cuts to the Drug Medi-Cal program.  Last week, the Governor proposed to eliminate the Drug Medi-Cal program funding.  This week, the Assembly took action to reject the Governor's proposal, which would maintain the Drug Medi-Cal funding.  We are asking you to take action and call the Senators of the Budget Subcommittee who will be taking action next week regarding this important funding.  Please contact the Senators listed below and urge them to reject the Governor's Drug Medi-Cal funding cuts.

Senator Mark Leno: 916.651.4003
Senator Elaine Alquist: 916.651.4013
Senator Roy Ashburn: 916.651.4018

When calling each Senator, ask to speak with the person who staffs the Legislator on budget issues.  Please make the following points in support of our request to reject the Governor's proposed funding cuts:

• Drug Medi-Cal treatment services, including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Medi-Cal Outpatient Drug-Free Counseling (ODF), are essential and elimination of their funding will be detrimental to the communities who rely on those services.
• The Governor's proposed cuts are in addition to the previously proposed elimination of the Offender Treatment Program (OTP) funding -- a loss of $18 million for essential treatment services.
• Substance use disorder treatment saves money and saves lives.  It restores productivity and reunifies families. 
• Every $1 invested in treatment rather than incarceration cuts costs by up to $4.
• Cutting treatment services is not only the wrong policy decision, but is also poor budgeting because of the increased costs associated with failing to provide treatment services.  Please do not support this short-sighted budget.