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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Behavioral healthcare disparities exist across
3Illinois; these disparities include underserved populations
4with behavioral healthcare needs as one of their acute or
5chronic conditions; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Behavioral healthcare disparities include racial,
7ethnic, and rural behavioral health disparities and
8underserved or professional shortage areas; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The mental well-being of young people and their
10ability to not use alcohol or other drugs is strongly linked to
11their academic success; helping students stay healthy is a
12fundamental mission of schools; and
 
13    WHEREAS, According to the United States Surgeon General,
14approximately 50% of children with emotional disturbances and
15behavioral disturbances drop out of school; and
 
16    WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control,
17suicides are among the leading cause of death for people 15-54
18years of age; and
 
19    WHEREAS, County coroners in Illinois report that, in some
20counties, the suicide rate has doubled since 2002, while, in

 

 

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1other counties, the suicide rate has increased in recent years;
2and
 
3    WHEREAS, According to the Department of Defense Annual
4Suicide Report, suicides in the military started climbing
5considerably in 2005; this trend has not abated in recent
6years; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Cook County Jail is the largest "mental
8institution" in the State, due to its active inpatient
9psychiatric population; there are over 1,700 people on
10psychotropic medication for treatment of bipolar disorder,
11clinical depression, and schizoaffective disorder in the jail;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, In Cook County Jail, 80% of the women there have a
14chronic mental illness; 80% of the women in that jail are the
15sole caretakers of their children; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Illinois courts, municipal and county jails, and
17the juvenile justice system have direct contact with many
18individuals who could be diverted away from these systems if
19behavioral healthcare services were available to them;
20therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

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1NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2we urge the Governor to seek to empower and engage individuals
3and communities where behavioral healthcare disparities exist
4through the use of incentives, education, outreach,
5technology, and innovation; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That we further urge the administration to work
7with the 98th General Assembly to establish Behavioral
8Healthcare Enterprise Zones (BHEZs); BHEZs, modeled after
9economic enterprise zones, should be established in areas with
10significant behavioral health disparities, poor access to
11behavioral healthcare, high rates of trauma, or acute or
12chronic behavioral healthcare illnesses; primary care
13physicians and behavioral healthcare clinicians should be
14encouraged to practice in BHEZs through a range of incentives,
15including loan repayment assistance, tax credits, and
16assistance in installing health information technology; and be
17it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That we further urge the administration to
19establish Behavioral Healthcare Loan Repayment Assistance
20initiatives, in which behavioral healthcare professionals
21would be encouraged to practice through a range of incentives
22to include loan repayment assistance; the initiatives should
23include eligibility requirements, in which clinicians would
24have to participate in the Medicaid program and meet voluntary

 

 

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1standards for community service; community-based organizations
2should be urged to apply to create the zones and proposals with
3matching funding should be given priority; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That we further encourage the administration to
5call on the Department of Human Services, in collaboration with
6the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, to identify a
7method to establish pilot programs for health homes, systems of
8care, and essential community behavioral healthcare providers
9to address the racial, ethnic, and rural behavioral health
10disparities, underserved populations, and underserved areas or
11professional shortage designated areas; and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That we further encourage the administration to
13include a standardized collection and analysis of data on the
14impact on racial, ethnic, and rural healthcare disparities,
15underserved populations, and underserved or professional
16shortage designated areas in the Department of Human Services
17data collection process; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That we further encourage the administration to
19create an Illinois Behavioral Health Innovation Prize that
20would provide public recognition for a new intervention or
21program that successfully reduces or eliminates behavioral
22healthcare disparities; the prize should broaden the scope of
23community participation and discover new solutions that can be

 

 

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1duplicated and employed throughout the State; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
3delivered to Governor Pat Quinn and the Secretary of the
4Department of Human Services.