Bill Text: IL SR0096 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Opposes funding cuts eliminating non-Medicaid addiction treatment and prevention.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Failed) 2013-01-08 - Session Sine Die [SR0096 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-SR0096-Introduced.html

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.