Bill Text: IL HR0160 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Encourages Governor Rauner's Administration, including the Department of Human Services Divisions of Mental Health and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the Governor's Office to prioritize a plan aimed at securing and submitting an application for a planning grant for the State of Illinois. Urges the aforementioned groups to collaborate in this effort with key stakeholders, including organizations representing individuals with serious mental illnesses, community-based mental health providers, substance use treatment facilities, federally-qualified health centers, hospitals, supportive housing providers, and rural health clinics.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)

Status: (Passed) 2015-05-30 - Resolution Adopted [HR0160 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HR0160-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Approximately 1.5 million Illinois adults and
more than 300,000 Illinois children have a mental illness, and
approximately 850,000 adults and 62,000 youth in Illinois have
a substance use disorder; and
WHEREAS, In 2011, suicide due to the presence of a mental
health condition was the third leading cause of death for
children between the ages of 10 and 14, and the second leading
cause of death for youth and adults between the ages of 15 and
34; and
WHEREAS, Despite the fact that community-based/outpatient
mental health treatment, combined with the appropriate
medications, is highly effective in treating mental illnesses
and enabling recovery, more than two-thirds of Illinois
children and 59% of adults living with a mental illness do not
receive a diagnosis or treatment; this lack of access to
treatment results in severe disability for those with untreated
serious mental illnesses, the costs of which are borne by
taxpayers for the remainder of the person's life; and
WHEREAS, The evidence is clear - when treatment is
available early on following the signs of a mental illness,
youth are less likely to drop out of school, turn to substance

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use, or engage in self-injurious or criminal behaviors; they
are also able to more effectively manage their mental illness
over their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, Similar to other states, mental health and
substance use treatment services and supports are primarily
publicly-funded; and
WHEREAS, In recent decades, limited access to mental health
care and substance use treatment has resulted in substantial
increases in homelessness, institutionalization, and
incarceration due to untreated serious mental illnesses and
substance use disorders; and
WHEREAS, The estimated average cost of an emergency room
visit in Illinois is $2,027, while the estimated average cost
of a psychiatric hospitalization is $4,301; from 2009 to 2012,
during the years of the deepest cuts to community mental
health, increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations
of individuals with untreated mental illnesses cost Illinois
$123.3 million; without sustained treatment, this cycle
continues unabated and often results in homelessness,
incarceration, or institutionalization; and
WHEREAS, Despite the best efforts of community-based
service providers, and due to a lack of State investment in

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community mental health services and adequate reimbursement
rates, too many Illinois citizens lack access to evidence-based
treatments and robust support services which are proven to
produce better health outcomes and reduce costs; and
WHEREAS, On March 31, 2014, Congress passed the Protecting
Access to Medicare Act, which included provisions establishing
a demonstration program that creates state Certified Community
Behavioral Health Clinics; Certified Community Behavioral
Health Clinics are intended to serve individuals with serious
mental illnesses and substance use disorders and will provide
intensive, person-centered, multidisciplinary, evidence-based
screening, assessment, diagnostics, treatment, prevention, and
wellness services, with a strong emphasis on care coordination;
and
WHEREAS, This Act provides for the single largest federal
investment in community-based mental and substance use
treatment in decades; and
WHEREAS, The Act provides that $25 million will be made
available as planning grants to states to develop applications
to participate in the 2-year pilot; only the states receiving
planning grants will be eligible to participate in the pilot;
and

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WHEREAS, During the duration of the pilot, states with
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics will receive an
enhanced Federal Matching Assistance Percentage for the
services provided by the clinics; and
WHEREAS, On February 2, 2015, the Secretary for the United
States Department of Health and Human Services released draft
criteria for a clinic to be certified by a state, with guidance
for establishing a prospective payment system for the clinics
expected by September 2015; and
WHEREAS, By January 1, 2016, the Secretary for the United
States Department of Health and Human Services will award the
planning grants; by September l, 2017, the Secretary will
select the 8 states that will participate in the demonstration;
and
WHEREAS, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
will have uniform certification criteria in the areas of
staffing, availability and accessibility of services, care
coordination, scope of services, quality, and other reporting
and organizational authority, thus ensuring the quality of
services provided by the clinics; and
WHEREAS, States interested in pursuing Certified Community
Behavioral Health Clinics should demonstrate the potential to

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expand available services in a demonstration area and increase
the quality of services without increasing net federal
spending; and
WHEREAS, By being a catalyst for driving change in
Illinois' mental health and substance use treatment systems,
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics will be an
important component in Illinois' overall Medicaid payment and
delivery system reform efforts; and
WHEREAS, Given the limited scope of the demonstration
program, it is in the best interests of the State of Illinois
to engage in efforts aimed at securing a planning grant; unless
Illinois pursues and receives a planning grant, it is
prohibited from participating in the demonstration program;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
encourage Governor Rauner's Administration, including the
Department of Human Services Divisions of Mental Health and
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, the Department of Healthcare
and Family Services, and the Governor's Office to prioritize a
plan aimed at securing and submitting an application for a
planning grant for the State of Illinois; and be it further

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RESOLVED, That we urge the aforementioned groups to
collaborate in this effort with key stakeholders, including
organizations representing individuals with serious mental
illnesses, community-based mental health providers, substance
use treatment facilities, federally-qualified health centers,
hospitals, supportive housing providers, and rural health
clinics; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
delivered to the Governor, the Secretary of Human Services, and
the Director of Healthcare and Family Services.