Jay
Chaudhary
Nominated by Rakuya Trice:
"Jay began his career with Indiana Legal Services (ILS) where he worked as a medical-legal partnership (MLP) attorney at a time when MLPs were not prevalent in Indiana. Through his advocacy for the MLP model, Jay worked to increase Indiana's awareness of MLPs, increase access to justice for people living with a mental health condition and educated the bench and bar about medication-assisted treatment as a recognized medical treatment plan for people living with substance use disorder (just as insulin is a medical treatment for someone living with diabetes). While the work Jay did as a legal aid attorney is impressive, it is what he has done for public health and our client population since leaving ILS that truly makes him an Access to Justice Honoree. Indiana, like so many other states, has been hard hit by several epidemics related to substance use disorders. Most recently, the opioid epidemic has resulted in the loss of many Hoosier lives. Legal aid providers are often faced with having to dispel misconceptions about treatment plans for people who are living with a substance use disorder and help people living with a substance use disorder to regain rights that were taken away from them when they were not in remission.
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the state has also seen an increase in self-harm. Jay, both in his position as an MLP lawyer and as the Director of DMHA, has worked tirelessly to remove the stigma associated with living with a mental health condition and the stigma associated with living with a substance use disorder. Jay has worked to improve access to necessary medications for the treatment of substance use disorders and for access to naloxone (which is now more readily available across the state of Indiana in a way it has never been available before). Through his leadership, Indiana's residents now have expanded access to mental health resources through Indiana's 988, expanded mental health services, and expanded recovery services for people living with substance use disorder. Through his advocacy, Indiana agencies and organizations will receive $19 million dollars to provide addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services and harm reduction services throughout the state of Indiana. Clients often find themselves without the resources needed to obtain the care that will help them maintain employment, be reunited with their families, and maintain personal stability. The access to care that Jay and his agency have provided will allow our client population and all Indiana residents access to the treatment they need to return to being the people they know themselves to be."
