All posts tagged Illinois Association Behavioral Health

Top Behavior Health Advocate Group Praises Rauner Approval of Youth DUI Law

Eric_Foster_Hearing

Illinois Association for Behavioral Health Vice President for Substance Use Policy Eric Foster

(Springfield, IL) – A top Illinois behavioral health advocated lauded Governor Bruce Rauner’s approval on Tuesday of legislation requiring law enforcement to develop policies to care for intoxicated young people after a D.U.I. arrest, including attempts to contact a responsible adult.

“Providing new, standardized training for local law enforcement across the state on the appropriate police responses to youth arrested for being under the influence of alcohol or drugs can potentially help avert individual and community tragedies,” said Illinois Association for Behavioral Health Vice President for Substance Use Policy Eric Foster. “We commend Governor Rauner for signing this measure to help to decrease harm to youth and others.”

The legislation is named after Conor Vesper, a 20-year old college student from Macoupin County who committed suicide hours after a drunk driving arrest. Vesper was the valedictorian of Staunton High School and an active campus leader at Blackburn College where he had earned a full ride scholarship.

“Following an arrest, it is critical that we protect impaired young people while they are still at risk for dangerous decision-making,” said Rauner. “Ensuring law enforcement has thoughtful policies related to the care of individuals under the influence that focus on reaching out to responsible adults will help prevent tragic situations and protect all Illinoisans.”

Conor’s Law requires the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to develop policies regarding the response and care for intoxicated young people after an arrest.

The bill’s chief sponsor, State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), expressed his appreciation to Rauner and cited the bi-partisan effort to advance the legislation.

“I appreciate that Gov. Rauner saw the merit of this bipartisan legislation and chose to make it the law in Illinois,” said Manar. “Well over a year of work went into Conor’s Law and my only hope is that it prevents other families from experiencing the same heartbreak and anguish the Vespers experienced when they tragically lost their son, Conor. The Vesper family should be commended for their determination.”

Foster noted that IABH worked on the bill with Manar and praised the senator for his “thoughtful collaboration.”

“IABH worked with Senator Manar and his staff on the bill,” said Foster. “The senator’s thoughtful collaboration made it a good bill that we could support.”

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by Jud DeLoss on September 28, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Governor Bruce Rauner, Illinois Addiction Treatment, Illinois General Assembly, Uncategorized
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on September 28, 2017

https://ilabh.net/2017/09/28/top-behavior-health-advocate-group-praises-rauner-approval-of-youth-dui-law/

Drug Treatment Center Collapses; Exasperated Advocates Point Finger of “Moral Culpability” at Illinois Elected Officials

IABH CEO Sara Moscato Howe

(Springfield, IL) – The slated closure of a Central Illinois addiction treatment center because of Illinois’ budget crisis has pushed exasperated behavioral health advocates to demand that Illinois’ top elected leaders “do their job” or face “moral culpability” for “abetting heroin crisis.”

The Jacksonville-based Wells Center, which provides a 32-inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment program, announced on Friday that it will close in April and layoff all 33 employees.

Wells Center, which serves 500 clients annually, is owed approximately $1.4 million from the state, which provides 70 percent of its funding.

“The Wells Center closure is an another self-inflected wound in a long list of self-inflicted wounds committed by the state’s elected leaders,” said Illinois Association for Behavioral Health CEO Sara Moscato Howe. “We ask our elected leaders to stop marching in parades; stop schmoozing at political fundraisers; stop working the rubber-chicken circuit and, instead, focus like a laser on a budget deal. Period. Nothing else matters.”

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by Jud DeLoss on March 14, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Illinois Addiction Treatment
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on March 14, 2017

https://ilabh.net/2017/03/14/drug-treatment-center-collapses-exasperated-advocates-point-finger-of-moral-culpability-at-illinois-elected-officials/

Landmark U.S. Surgeon General Report Lends Medical Weight to Addiction Fight as Illinois Retreats from Battlefield

spr_capitol_v2(Springfield, IL) – While a new, groundbreaking Surgeon General’s report finds alcohol and drug misuse and severe substance use disorders, commonly called addiction, to be one of America’s most pressing public health fights, Illinois is in a full financial retreat from the addiction battlefield.

“It’s time to change how we view addiction,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy on November 17, 2016. “Not as a moral failing but as a chronic illness that must be treated with skill, urgency and compassion. The way we address this crisis is a test for America.”

Nearly 21 million Americans – more than the number of people who have all cancers combined – suffer from substance use disorders. Of those, approximately 845,201 are in Illinois.

The report, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, marks the first time a U.S. Surgeon General has dedicated a report to substance misuse and related disorders.

By issuing the first-ever report on addiction, the Surgeon General has lent the weight of “medical opinion” to the classification of substance use disorders as a health care issue, according to a top Illinois behavioral healthcare advocacy group.

“The Office of Surgeon General has for the first time recognized that addiction is a chronic health care issue whose treatment must be addressed on an equal footing with other chronic health care issues, such as diabetes, hypertension, etc.,” said Illinois Association of Behavioral Health CEO Sara Moscato Howe. “Unfortunately, in Illinois, the state’s financial commitment to fight addiction has floundered.”

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by Jud DeLoss on December 15, 2016  •  Permalink
Posted in Governor Bruce Rauner, Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois Addiction
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on December 15, 2016

https://ilabh.net/2016/12/15/landmark-u-s-surgeon-general-report-lends-medical-weight-to-addiction-fight-as-illinois-retreats-from-battlefield/

$1.3 Million from Feds Will Help IL Bolster Mental Health, Drug Treatment Parity

IABH CEO Sara Moscato Howe

IABH CEO Sara Moscato Howe

(Springfield, IL) – The Illinois Department of Insurance has received a $1.3 million federal grant to improve consumer and healthcare provider outreach, focusing on parity in mental health & substance use disorder benefits, and preventative health services.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to further our Administration’s coordinated efforts on mental health,” Acting Director of DOI Anne Melissa Dowling said. “These funds will help extend our outreach.”

Illinois Association Behavioral Healthcare CEO Sara Moscato Howe echoed Dowling comments.

“The grant does present an important outreach opportunity to help individuals struggling mental health or substance use disorders to get the care that they need, but otherwise may forgo by being unaware of insurance benefits to which they are entitled,” Howe said.

A portion of the grant will be directed to the Office of Consumer Health Insurance to improve data tracking and consumer complaint analysis. It will also help in increasing awareness of the internal and external appeals processes for health insurance consumers.  The grant will allow the state insurance department to develop community-focused health insurance consumer education for Illinois residents.

The state agency will also work with health plans, consumers and providers to ensure that mental health parity compliance is understood.

“I am committed to furthering this collaboration to achieve mental health parity in the commercial health care system by collaborating with my colleagues as well as with the provider community in Illinois,” said Dowling.

showe@ilabh.org

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by Jud DeLoss on November 3, 2016  •  Permalink
Posted in Mental Health, Substance Abuse Treatment
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on November 3, 2016

https://ilabh.net/2016/11/03/1-3-million-from-feds-will-help-il-bolster-mental-health-drug-treatment-parity/

Top Advocates Launch 1st of 3 Illinois Mental Health Policy Forums on August 30

(Springfield, IL) – As Governor Bruce Rauner’s Administration embarks on a “transformation” of the state’s of health and human services programs, Illinois’ top behavioral health care advocates will roll out the first of three mental health policy forums at the end of August that will aim to help shape state policies.

The Community Behavioral Healthcare Association (CBHA), the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF), and the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health (IABH), in partnership with the Behavioral Health + Economics Network (BHECON) led by the National Council for Behavioral Health, will host the first of the series of behavioral health forums on August 30 in Normal.

“The state’s planned ‘transformation’ of Illinois’ health care system prioritizes behavioral health services, which promote overall health and lower health costs,” said IABH CEO Sara Moscato Howe. “The state’s effort will align with our behavioral health policy forums, forums that we expect will provide a platform to help shape’s the Administration’s policies going forward.”

The August 30 forum in Normal, “Illinois Behavioral Health Pre-Transformation: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?,” will provide a scan of the current system in Illinois. Presenters will discuss Illinois’ current system of care along with future considerations, such as:

  • Range of treatment options and care settings for individuals with acute, chronic and mild needs;
  • Specialized services available to children and adolescents;
  • Services for co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders;
  • Financing and payment reforms; and
  • Policy reforms that ensure individuals access to care at all stages, including prevention and early intervention.

Speakers from a diverse array of industries will also discuss creative approaches to integrating care, the impact and cost savings of a housing-first approach, how early intervention and prevention programs could be implemented across the state, and how available resources drive capacity, according to Howe.

“In Illinois, the burden of untreated mental health conditions and lack of access to substance use prevention and treatment falls on hospital emergency departments, jails, prisons, child welfare systems, schools, communities, and families,” said Howe. “That burden and the policy solutions will be the centerpiece of the forum series.”

This initial forum is expected to lead discussion towards fundamental questions:

  • What is our vision for a comprehensive, high-performing delivery system in Illinois?
  • Where are current gaps in care that create poor health outcomes and increase expenditures in the system?

The next planned forum in Normal will be on October 6.

“Throughout the three forums, participants will hear from experienced executives and clinicians from community clinics, state agency representatives, legislators, and educators,” said Howe. “They will share innovative approaches to address the continuum of care and share data from economic research on the impact of community-based care.”

The date of the third forum in Normal remains to be determined.

sara@ilabh.org

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by Jud DeLoss on August 3, 2016  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on August 3, 2016

https://ilabh.net/2016/08/03/top-advocates-launch-1st-of-3-illinois-mental-health-policy-forums-on-august-30/