Two years after issuing an executive order creating a committee to address the opioid crisis in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced the formation of a statewide Overdose Action Plan to tackle a problem that only got worse during the pandemic.
“There are so many people who end up in a struggle with the disease that is addiction — self-medicating, trauma, simultaneous mental health challenges, a pain prescription gone wrong,” Pritzker said. “But no matter what brings someone here, their life is worth saving.
In 2020, nearly 3,000 Illinois residents died of an opioid overdose, up 32.7% from 2019 and “the deadliest overdose year on record in Illinois,” Pritzker said during an event at the Westside Community Triage and Wellness Center in West Garfield Park.
The latest plan will be a partnership to provide mental health and recovery services to Chicago neighborhoods and other areas most affected by opioid deaths.
In 2020, the West Side neighborhoods of Austin, Humboldt Park and North Lawndale reported the highest number of opioid overdose deaths ever. Citywide, opioid-related deaths were up 52% from 2019, according to city data.
Members of Chicago’s West Side Heroin and Opioid Task Force attended Pritzker’s news conference Monday and spoke in support of the initiative.
The state’s response to the opioid crisis has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, but treatment and recovery services have long been underfunded, said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat.
“That’s sad, and that’s why we see so many people die,” Ford said. “That’s why this plan is important because now, we’re going to be able to use the plan to help with prevention, treatment and recovery.”
Overseeing and implementing the plan in the newly created position of chief behavioral health officer will be David T. Jones, now director of the division of substance use prevention and recovery for the Illinois Department of Human Services. His responsibilities will include coordinating resources for mental health and substance use disorders across state agencies.
The governor, who is seeking reelection this year, on Friday named Dana Weiner the director of a children’s behavioral health initiative aimed at streamlining state social service efforts to children on families.
The Overdose action Plan takes a holistic look at how “social determinants,” such as hunger, poverty, homelessness and unemployment, disparately impact the health of marginalized communities, Jones said, which can increase overdose rates.
Jones vowed to work with State Homelessness Chief Christine Haley and other partners such as the Office of Medicaid Innovation at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he said.
“There are many committed behavioral health providers currently delivering evidence-based and evidence-informed prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery support,” Jones said. “Our work will include both building upon the good work currently occurring and scaling up coordination across departments or agencies to facilitate greater treatment effectiveness, fiscal efficiencies and health outcomes.”
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