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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Health and human service organizations are
3important components of a strong Illinois, essential employers
4for a robust economy, and integral to healthy and safe
5communities throughout our State; and
 
6    WHEREAS, These organizations contribute $4.5 billion to
7the economy annually, while ensuring people are healthy,
8stable, and able to realize their potential, care for their
9families, and contribute to their communities; and
 
10    WHEREAS, These organizations play a fundamental role in
11providing person-centered, culturally sensitive,
12evidence-based healthcare, social services, and long-term
13services and supports aimed at promoting equality,
14opportunity, and advancing equity; and
 
15    WHEREAS, According to national statistics, 81% of social
16workers are female, with 27% of social workers being people of
17color; 69% of counselors are female, with 24.7% of counselors
18being people of color; 87% of direct support professionals are
19female, with 60% of direct support professionals being people
20of color; 87% of nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides
21are female, with 39% of these professionals being people of
22color; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Adequately supported health and human service
2organizations are crucial in preventing hospitalizations and
3addressing the increased demand for services, including
4childcare, access to food, housing, mental health services and
5supports to persons with disabilities, and healthcare for our
6most underserved populations; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic greatly publicized the
8crucial nature of health and human service organizations, with
9increased expectations to provide high quality services and
10supports in an unprecedented environment, while ensuring the
11health and safety of as many Illinoisans as possible; and
 
12    WHEREAS, It has been consistently documented across
13national and state level studies that many health and human
14services sectors were in precarious financial positions prior
15to the start of the pandemic, which significantly hampers the
16ability of these organizations to meet their missions of
17service; and
 
18    WHEREAS, According to Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap
19Study, food insecurity in Illinois is projected to increase by
2046% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Northwestern University
21estimating 23% of Illinois households being impacted; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, According to data from the Illinois Department of
2Public Health, 85% of COVID-19 fatalities are among adults age
360 or older, with nearly half of these deaths being residents
4of nursing homes; and
 
5    WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Public
6Health data, opioid overdose deaths rose 36.5% in the first
7five months of 2020, from 197 deaths in January to 269 deaths;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, According to data from Illinois counties, teen
10suicides were up in 2020 compared to 2019; Cook County's Black
11community experienced 71 suicides in the first 9 months of
122020, compared to 56 in all of 2019; and
 
13    WHEREAS, There are 18,452 individuals with developmental
14disabilities on Illinois' Prioritization of Unmet Need for
15Services (PUNS), meaning these individuals and families are
16waiting for access to services and supports; and
 
17    WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Children
18and Family Services, there were 143,056 child victims
19associated with investigations of abuse or neglect in 2019;
20and
 
21    WHEREAS, According to the Child and Family Research Center

 

 

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1at the University of Illinois, Black children are more than
2two and a half times more likely to be taken into protective
3custody than white children; and
 
4    WHEREAS, According to McKinsey and Company, students on
5average could lose five to nine months of learning by the end
6of June 2021, making learning enrichment and the social and
7emotional support provided in afterschool programs critical to
8helping Illinois children return to success; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Illinois early childhood programs were required
10to operate at a 30% reduced capacity during phases 3 and 4 of
11the Restore Illinois plan, putting significant financial
12strain on an already fragile system; and
 
13    WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Department of Housing and
14Urban Development and the U.S. Census American Community
15Survey, an estimated 10,199 individuals experience street and
16shelter-based homelessness and an additional 106,443 people
17experience homelessness by temporarily staying with others
18across Illinois; and
 
19    WHEREAS, More than 3 million Illinoisans live in 245 areas
20experiencing shortages in primary health care workforce across
21our State, limiting their access to basic health care; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Nationally, 95% of community health centers have
2reported at least one clinical staff vacancy, impacting their
3ability to provide community-directed, primary and
4preventative care; and
 
5    WHEREAS, While health and human services are always
6important components of a strong state, the current crisis
7facing Illinois elevates health and human services to the
8highest priority level for the General Assembly and the
9Governor as they approach the State fiscal year 2022 budget;
10therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the State fiscal year
132022 health and human services budget should ensure that
14people and communities have access to essential services,
15including services that address the social determinants of
16health, economic support, and family well-being; and be it
17further
 
18    RESOLVED, That the budget should include funding to
19accommodate the increasing number of people in need of health
20and human services, to continue reimbursing for remote
21services, and to promote flexibility in order to adapt to
22evolving needs; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the health and human services budget should
2prioritize funding for communities that have been hardest hit
3by the pandemic, including Black, Brown, and rural
4communities, and reflect the needs of those who have been
5disproportionately impacted by systemic racism, which has been
6exacerbated by COVID-19; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That the health and human services budget should
8avoid historic silos and take a holistic approach to budgeting
9by understanding how the various State departments and their
10programs interact with and impact each other, avoid
11short-sighted and costly strategy of short-term cuts, and
12instead invest in prevention and early intervention to prevent
13suffering and control costs over the long term; and be it
14further
 
15    RESOLVED, That the health and human services budget should
16invest in the human services workforce both as a matter of
17equity and to ensure the sector is able to attract, support,
18and retain talented and committed individuals, recognizing the
19workforce is disproportionately female, disproportionately
20people of color, and disproportionately low-income to
21moderate-income people who have been acting as essential
22workers and have shouldered the burden of care in this
23pandemic; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the overall budget should include new means
2of revenue including, but not limited to, closing loopholes
3and corporate perks, and should invest those revenues in
4health and human services that will help hasten Illinois'
5recovery from the pandemic; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That we support the principles detailed in this
7resolution as we work with the Governor and his administration
8to finalize the State fiscal year 2022 budget.