Faces & Voices of Recovery Alert!

Help us this Wednesday - National Parity Day! Dear Recovery Advocate, We need your help this Wednesday, May 2. As the bipartisan push for mental health fairness continues in the U.S. House of Representatives, Faces & Voices of Recovery is joining national advocacy organizations and the offices of Congressmen Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) to use National Parity Day this Wednesday as an opportunity to push Congress to finally support the Wellstone bill for mental health fairness. The bill, supported by a bipartisan group of representatives, is a new version of legislation that Paul Wellstone championed for over a decade in Congress. With bipartisan support and new leadership in Congress, chances for passing the Wellstone bill are better than ever. But we've been through this before, only to see the bill get held up by opponents in Congressional committees. If we are serious about finally passing the Wellstone bill and honoring Paul Wellstone's legacy, now is the time to raise our voices. The Wellstone bill is awaiting action in several House committees and unless it passes through these committees and is sent to the House floor in the next two months, chances for its passage in 2007 are slim. Here's how you can help. On Wednesday, call the national parity hotline (1-866-PARITY4) and ask to be connected to your member of Congress. The message to your representative is simple: "I am calling to urge you to support the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act. This is a bipartisan bill that is co-sponsored by a majority of House members. It is common sense legislation that ends discrimination against people suffering from mental illness and addiction. The Wellstone bill is fair, just, and long overdue. Please support this bill and urge your colleagues to finally pass it out of the House this year." Thank you for your help in getting us to where we're at today. Because of your calls and faxes, we exceeded our goal for recruiting co-sponsors of the Wellstone bill. We've kept the issue in front of Congress and let them know that we will not go away until we pass the bill. Now we need to keep the pressure up. The next two months are critical; your help on Wednesday will make a big difference! For more information about the Wellstone bill and how you can help, click here. ____________________________________________________________________________