Dear 1199 Member:
Over the last month, more than 1,400 DMHAS 1199 members have signed a petition to Commissioner Delphin-Rittmon; our delegates have had two meetings with DMHAS Administration, and we are seeing some progress on our demands. However — the COVID pandemic continues to wreak havoc. This global pandemic is exposing the interlocking crises that underscore the importance – now more than ever – of mental health and addiction services. We are all collectively experiencing unprecedented loss and hardship during this crisis – people are losing their family members, losing their jobs, losing financial stability – and the impact of these losses are intensifying the existing economic and racial inequalities in our State. Now is not the time to be cutting mental health services to those who need them most. Now more than ever we need robust mental health services for the people of Connecticut.
Collectively, we are demanding:
- A commitment from OLR & DMHAS that they will
- Restore & expand Addictions and Mobile Crisis Services. Produce written plans detailing the return of ALL DMHAS services to pre-pandemic operational capacity.
- Fill all the unfilled DMHAS vacancies, starting with making 200 emergency hires permanent state employees to address the persistent staffing crisis across all facilities.
- Protect the safety of staff and patients
- Ensure sustainable access to all necessary PPE for front-line staff working with COVID-positive patients, both in-patient & out-patient
- Extend 14-day COVID-19 leave & allow members to use it intermittently so no member works sick.
Join us Thursday 5/14 for a car caravan to make these demands public, and to spotlight the essential and hazardous work our 1199 members do on a daily basis.
Details
- 11:30am Thursday 5/14
- 1199 Union Hall – 77 Huyshope Ave, Hartford CT
- Car caravan to 450 Capitol Avenue
