HR0592 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0592 LRB100 10091 MST 20264 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois finds itself in the midst of a heroin crisis; the epicenter of which is on the West Side of the City of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, According to a recent study, hospitalizations for opioids on the West Side of Chicago account for nearly one in four hospitalizations for the entire State; overdose mortality rates disproportionately impact Chicago's African American population with nine in 100,000 African Americans dying as a result of heroin overdoses, as compared to 5.9 for whites; and

WHEREAS, Most of the attention directed at the heroin crisis is focused on policing rather than treatment, which is an ineffective and expensive way to treat a health crisis such as this; and

WHEREAS, In September of 2015, Illinois adopted the Heroin Crisis Act; this bipartisan and "groundbreaking" legislation is being duplicated in states across the country; shortly before the adoption of the Act, a report was published indicating that Illinois has become the third-worst state in providing treatment for heroin addicts; and

WHEREAS, The Heroin Crisis Act provides for the following: (1) Allows pharmacies to dispense heroin/opiate overdose reversal drugs, such as naloxone, to individuals; (2) Requires all police and fire agencies, and emergency medical technicians, to carry the reversal drugs and be trained to administer, store, and transport it; (3) Permits a school nurse to administer naloxone and requires reporting on it; (4) Upgrades the prescription monitoring program to prevent overprescribing of painkillers, a frequent precursor to heroin addiction; (5) Amends drug court programs to keep users in treatment and out of jail; (6) Establishes drug education programs in schools; (7) Provides insurance coverages for opioid/heroin antidotes; (8) Requires Medicaid to pay for medication-based treatments; (9) Requires coroners, medical examiners, and health care professionals to report to the Department of Public Health all cases of drug overdoses; (10) Requires the Department of Human Services to establish a medication take-back program to collect and dispose of unused medications; (11) Requires State agencies to report to the General Assembly on the impact of the comprehensive efforts addressing opioid/heroin misuse and overdoses; and (12) Mandates for public awareness campaigns on the dangers of unused prescription medications; and

WHEREAS, The Heroin Crisis Act requires funding to be effective and the ongoing budget fight in Illinois has threatened that funding; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Governor Bruce Rauner to declare a state of emergency in Illinois due to the ongoing heroin crisis; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Director of the Department of Public Health, Nirav Shah, to create a comprehensive plan to combat the heroin crisis that now grips Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the State of Illinois to fully fund the Heroin Crisis Act; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to Governor Bruce Rauner, Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, Senate President John Cullerton, Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, and the Director of the Department of Public Health Nirav Shah.