SR0096 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0096 LRB097 11023 KTG 51892 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) has notified the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA) that all GRF funds for addiction prevention and treatment will be eliminated as of March 15, 2011; and

WHEREAS, Providers of addiction prevention and treatment services have been notified of these impending cuts with less than 30 days' notice; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 80% of the clients in the addiction treatment system are not eligible for Medicaid services and will not be able to access addiction treatment; and

WHEREAS, These cuts will result in an immediate loss of services for 55,830 treatment clients, and 229,536 youth will lose prevention services; and

WHEREAS, These cuts will shut down the State-funded addiction prevention and treatment system, resulting in a loss of more than 5,000 jobs; and

WHEREAS, The residual impact to the State's economy far exceeds the immediate impact that will occur on March 15, 2011; and

WHEREAS, 5,000 new unemployed staff will be an additional burden on the State's unemployment system; and

WHEREAS, The Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act mandates that DHS design, coordinate, and fund a comprehensive and coordinated community-based and culturally and gender-appropriate array of services throughout the State for the prevention, intervention, treatment, and rehabilitation of alcohol and other drug abuse and dependency that is accessible and addresses the needs of at-risk or addicted individuals and their families; and

WHEREAS, The Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act mandates that offenders have the right to an assessment and can be sentenced to treatment services in the community instead of being sent to prison; and

WHEREAS, Since 69% of African-Americans and 76% of Latinos rely on publicly funded treatment, these cuts will disproportionately affect minority communities; and

WHEREAS, These cuts will force Illinoisans with no access to addiction services to turn to local hospital emergency departments flooding emergency rooms, increasing wait times, and swelling medical costs; and

WHEREAS, Local law enforcement will bear the burden of coping with Illinoisans who need treatment but will instead end up in local jails or homeless because they have nowhere to turn; and

WHEREAS, Already overburdened local justice and social service systems will become overwhelmed with people locked out of critical treatment services; and

WHEREAS, The average cost of addiction treatment in Illinois is $4,425 per person; the average annual cost of incarceration is $21,911 per person; and

WHEREAS, Without funding for addiction prevention and treatment, costs associated with corrections will drastically increase; and

WHEREAS, Cuts will escalate domestic violence, child abuse, accidents, and fatalities; and

WHEREAS, DHS estimates 9,000 to 10,000 Illinois residents die each year from accidental injuries and 40% of these deaths are related to the use of alcohol; and

WHEREAS, $907 million (73%) of the total spending on child welfare is spent as a result of untreated addiction; and

WHEREAS, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder costs the State of Illinois an estimated $329 million dollars annually or $27 million per month; and

WHEREAS, DHS estimates the annual Illinois statewide economic costs associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug-related mortality is in excess of $3.5 billion; and

WHEREAS, DHS estimates that over 60% of all State-funded addiction prevention programs are classified as evidence-based; and

WHEREAS, DHS has found the following outcomes are achieved in the prevention system:

(1) Increased alcohol, tobacco, and other drug resistance skills among program participants;

(2) Increased perceptions that alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use is harmful;

(3) Increased drug knowledge;

(4) Delayed alcohol use;

(5) Delayed intent to use alcohol and inhalants;

(6) Decreased perceptions that peers are using illicit drugs;

(7) Decreased perceptions that adults are using illicit drugs; and

WHEREAS, DHS has implemented a system of performance-based contracts for addiction treatment that focuses on client engagement, retention in treatment, and continuity of care; and

WHEREAS, DHS has data confirming that more than 97% of all clients discharged from Illinois' treatment system are arrest-free as opposed to the national average of only 89% at discharge; and

WHEREAS, DHS has data confirming that more than 81% of all clients discharged from Illinois' treatment system are alcohol-free at discharge as compared to the national average of 80%; and

WHEREAS, DHS has data confirming that more than 74% of all clients discharged from Illinois' treatment system are drug-free at discharge, which is the same as the national average; and

WHEREAS, For every dollar spent on prevention, states save up to $10 in treatment and recovery costs alone; and

WHEREAS, For every dollar spent on treatment, the State saves up to $14 in healthcare, criminal justice, and child welfare costs; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the General Assembly deems that these draconian cuts eliminating all non-Medicaid addiction treatment and prevention will decimate the Illinois system and are a violation of Section 25-5 of the Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act which provides that DHS "shall develop, fund and implement a comprehensive, statewide community-based system for the provision of a full array of intervention, treatment and aftercare for persons suffering from alcohol and other drug abuse and dependency"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the elimination of State funding for addiction treatment and prevention shall be immediately halted; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution shall be delivered to the Governor and the Secretary of the Department of Human Services.