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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Employees of Heartland Human Services in
3 Effingham have been on strike since July, 2007; and
 
4     WHEREAS, These employees normally deliver crucial mental
5 health and substance abuse services that are necessary for the
6 health, welfare, safety, and quality of life of Heartland
7 clients and all residents of Effingham County; and
 
8     WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, through the Department of
9 Human Services and other State agencies, contracts with
10 Heartland to provide those services; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Because of the strike, only a small fraction of
12 normal services have been delivered over the past 10 months;
13 and
 
14     WHEREAS, Data for the first 7 months of the fiscal year
15 show that Heartland's billings were reduced by 96%, and the
16 number of clients served was reduced by 71%; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Many former Heartland clients have reported that
18 they have gone without services or have received insufficient
19 services; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, This lack of services has placed an unsustainable
2 burden on Heartland clients and their families, to the point
3 that one client committed suicide; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Over 25 behavioral health professionals formerly
5 employed at Heartland signed a statement attesting that
6 Heartland "demonstrated a disturbing lack of concern for the
7 well-being of clients" and that the employees had themselves
8 "felt the lack of respect that management had for employees who
9 sought to serve those clients"; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Because of the lack of service delivery due to the
11 strike, the Department of Human Services Division of Alcohol
12 and Substance Abuse has discontinued grant payments to
13 Heartland; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The money the Division of Alcohol and Substance
15 Abuse has not paid to Heartland may be available to fund
16 increased service delivery by other providers in the area who
17 are attempting to serve the former Heartland clients; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services Division of
19 Mental Health elected to continue to pay Heartland for the
20 first five months of the fiscal year, despite the lack of
21 service delivery; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, The Division of Mental Health paid Heartland
2 approximately $200,000 monthly even though virtually no
3 services were being delivered; and
 
4     WHEREAS, The Division of Mental Health has not been able to
5 guarantee other mental health providers who are treating
6 Heartland clients that they will be reimbursed for their
7 expanded service delivery this year; therefore, be it
 
8     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10 State agencies should steward State funding to ensure the
11 maximum amount of services are delivered to the most clients
12 possible; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That the Auditor General is directed to conduct a
14 performance audit of the State moneys provided by or through
15 State agencies to Heartland Human Services under contracts or
16 grant agreements in Fiscal Year 2007 and year-to-date 2008; and
17 be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That this audit include, but not be limited to,
19 the following determinations:
20         (1) the purposes for which State moneys were provided
21     to Heartland Human Services, for each State agency and for
22     each amount transferred;

 

 

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1         (2) the nature and extent of monitoring by State
2     agencies of how Heartland Human Services used the
3     State-provided moneys;
4         (3) the actual use of State moneys by Heartland Human
5     Services;
6         (4) whether, through a review of available
7     documentation, Heartland Human Services has met or is
8     meeting the purposes for which the State moneys were
9     provided, with specific information concerning Heartland
10     Human Services' staffing levels and its compensation of
11     management employees; and
12         (5) whether Heartland Human Services is in compliance
13     with the applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and
14     grant agreements pertaining to Heartland Human Services'
15     receipt of State moneys; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That Heartland Human Services and any State or
17 local agency that may have information relevant to this audit
18 cooperate fully and promptly with the Auditor General's office
19 in its audit; and be it further
 
20     RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as
21 soon as possible and report his findings and recommendations
22 upon completion in accordance with the provisions of Section
23 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to the Auditor General.