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Linda, In case anyone is interested, and regarding the Olmstead Act, I'd like to digress somewhat and give some information and background on what we are doing in Calif on this and other issues. I encourage others to do the same at the Federal and State level. On the same day we--PAN's grassroots advocates, Greg Wasson, Northern Calif's Grassroots Coordinator, Maxine Krugman, acting Congressional District Coordinator (who's is from Sacramento, Calif's capitol), AJ Campbell, and I, Charlotte Mancuso, Congressional Dist. Coord., for the 14th district, and also Lynn Fielder--were in Sacramento at a press conference and hearing to support separate legislation brought by State Senator Ortiz, to allow therapeutic cloning, embryonic stem-cell research, and explicitly, legislation to fight against U.S. Senator's Brownbach's bill that not only totally bans therapeutic cloning, but criminalizes any participation in it by researchers--basic scientists, researchers applying it for curative purposes--and patients, making it a felony punishable by up to 10 years in the slammer, and $1,000,000 fine, and to support U.S. Senator Feinstein's bill that supports it, and U.S. Senator Spector's bill that also supports it. Maxine and I were also there to attend the annual California NeuroAlliance Conference that concludes with visits to our state representatives. One of the top issues on the Alliance's agenda is for Calif to do be more proactive in implementing the Olmstead decision more fully and more quickly, and for oversight to be formed to make sure the Olmstead initiatives are carried out. The California NeuroAlliance, which Maxine and I are also members of, is made up of Neurologists and advocates throughout the State of California, representing the various neurological disorders. Under the auspices of the American Academy of Neurologists (AAN), the national professional org of neurologists, together with professional and lay advocates in Calif., have formed the first state NeuroAlliance to take on state health policy issues, in part because the Association of California Neurologists was becoming more involved with advocacy. The CNAlliance believes that much of the health care issues, like long-term care, access to health care, HMO policy issues, and more, can be more effectively dealt with at the State level, and that relying on the Federal level entirely to implement broad health policy issues for the entire nation is unrealistic, which I agree with. The formation of the Alliance coincided with Gov. Gray Davis forming a health care policy advisory board, made up of a director, and other paid staff, and professional and lay volunteer participants from the community. I believe, for the most part, the account I have given above is accurate. Regards, Charlotte Mancuso On Sun, 31 Mar 2002 07:34:25 -0500 Linda J Herman <[log in to unmask]> writes: > This report highlights federal inter-agency actions to implement > Pres. > Bush's NEW FREEDOM INITIATIVE , which "calls upon the federal > government > to assist states and localities to swiftly implement the decision of > the > United States Supreme Court in Olmstead v. L.C. In that case, the > court > found that, under certain circumstances, the Americans with > Disabilities > Act (ADA) requires states to provide community-based services for > persons > with disabilities and holds that unjustified institutionalization of > a > person with a disability is discrimination under the ADA. " > > This initiative and the following report look very promising -- > hopefully it will be adequately funded and implemented. The report > identifies the supports needed by disabled people to be able to > live in > the community -- Housing, Personal Assistance, Direct Care Services > and > Community Workers, Family Caregivers support, Employment, > Transportation, > Access to Technology, Legal compliance with the Olmstead decision, > Public > Awareness and income supports. > Linda ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn