Washington, DC
Vice-President Joseph Biden endorsed The Watershed at the annual NAADAC (The Association for Addiction Professionals) Congressional Breakfast held on September 17 at the Senate Hart Office Building.
Several key lawmakers and officials in the field of healthcare spoke, including:
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Rep. Michael R. McNulty (D-NY)
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Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)
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Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC)
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Senator James Jeffords (I-VT)
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Honorable Kurt Schmoke, Dean Howard University Law School (former Mayor of Baltimore)
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Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI)
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Rep. Julia M. Carson (D-IN)
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Vice-President Joe R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE)
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Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Also at the event, the inaugural Senator Paul Wellstone Memorial Award will be bestowed to Jim Ramstad (R-MN) for his many years of leadership in addressing drug and alcohol treatment issues. Frank Naccarato, from NAADAC's New York affiliate AAPNY, will receive the Advocate of the Year Award.
Issues important to The Watershed & NAADAC include parity for alcohol and drug use disorders treatment in group-health plans and repeal of the bans on financial aid to students with drug convictions, as well as on welfare and food stamp benefits to inividuals convicted of a drug felony.
The Watershed is a strong voice for sufficient funding of effective treatment and prevention programs to address America's greatest public health challenge: Drug and alcohol addiction.
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