Bill Text: IL HR0248 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges county sheriffs across Illinois to continue to implement standard medical protocols for monitoring and treatment of individuals experiencing withdrawal while incarcerated to mitigate pain and discomfort, and to reduce the risk of both serious medical incidents, including death, and wrongful death lawsuits.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-22 - Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. [HR0248 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-HR0248-Introduced.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, An estimated two million people aged 12 or older | ||||||
| 3 | in the United States have a substance use disorder related to | ||||||
| 4 | prescription pain relievers including opioids, and an | ||||||
| 5 | additional 591,000 related to heroin; and
| ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, During 2015, there were 52,404 deaths due to drug | ||||||
| 7 | overdose, 63% of which were caused by opioids; and
| ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, In Illinois, heroin-related deaths increased 22% | ||||||
| 9 | between 2013 and 2014, from 583 to 711 deaths; the death rate | ||||||
| 10 | in Illinois related to synthetic opioids other than methadone | ||||||
| 11 | increased by 120% between 2014 and 2015; and
| ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, Nearly 1.5 million of the 2.3 million individuals | ||||||
| 13 | incarcerated in local, State, and federal jails or prisons meet | ||||||
| 14 | diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder; an estimated | ||||||
| 15 | 15% of the hundreds entering and leaving prison have heroin use | ||||||
| 16 | disorders; and
| ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, Only 11% of those incarcerated in jails or prisons | ||||||
| 18 | who meet diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder | ||||||
| 19 | receive any type of professional treatment while incarcerated, | ||||||
| 20 | and fewer than 1% of them are provided detoxification services; | ||||||
| 21 | and
| ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | WHEREAS, Over the past five years alone, families in at | ||||||
| 2 | least six states have been awarded nearly $11 million in | ||||||
| 3 | compensation for loved ones who died while being denied routine | ||||||
| 4 | detoxification care in local jails; and
| ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, The Federal Bureau of Prisons, the World Health | ||||||
| 6 | Organization, and the National Commission on Correctional | ||||||
| 7 | Health Care provide guidelines and standards for the provision | ||||||
| 8 | of care for individuals in correctional custody who need | ||||||
| 9 | detoxification services; and
| ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, The provision of medical monitoring and medically | ||||||
| 11 | assisted detoxification in jails requires fiscal support for | ||||||
| 12 | personnel, medications, and supplies, and the level of support | ||||||
| 13 | is likely less than would be costs associated with wrongful | ||||||
| 14 | death lawsuits; and
| ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, County sheriffs in Illinois and around the country | ||||||
| 16 | have been instrumental in assisting incarcerated individuals | ||||||
| 17 | with substance use disorders connect to community-based | ||||||
| 18 | substance use and mental health treatment services following | ||||||
| 19 | release from jail; and
| ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, County sheriffs in Illinois have consistently | ||||||
| 21 | asked for more resources in dealing with addiction and the | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | mentally ill, only to be repeatedly denied due to limited local | ||||||
| 2 | resources; and
| ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois continues to underfund | ||||||
| 4 | mental health treatment in Illinois and fails to properly and | ||||||
| 5 | timely fund community providers for substance abuse treatment; | ||||||
| 6 | therefore, be it
| ||||||
| 7 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 8 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 9 | urge county sheriffs across Illinois to continue to implement | ||||||
| 10 | standard medical protocols for monitoring and treatment of | ||||||
| 11 | individuals experiencing withdrawal while incarcerated to | ||||||
| 12 | mitigate pain and discomfort, and to reduce the risk of both | ||||||
| 13 | serious medical incidents, including death, and wrongful death | ||||||
| 14 | lawsuits; and be it further
| ||||||
| 15 | RESOLVED, That we urge local municipalities, county | ||||||
| 16 | boards, and the State to provide fiscal support necessary to | ||||||
| 17 | assist county sheriffs in undertaking these efforts; and be it | ||||||
| 18 | further
| ||||||
| 19 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 20 | delivered to all county sheriffs and county board presidents in | ||||||
| 21 | Illinois.
| ||||||
