SUPR Staffing Update:
Governor J.B. Pritzker has named David T. Jones an Associate Secretary at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), where he will serve as the statewide Chief Behavioral Health Officer (CBHO).
David T. Jones joined IDHS as the Director of the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR) in October 2020. Prior to joining the agency, he served as the Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS) for the City of Philadelphia from 2017 to 2020, a city with more than 1.5 million residents.?He was Deputy Commissioner at DBHIDS, from 2013 to 2017.?Before his time in Philadelphia, Jones was Chief of Behavioral Health and Crisis Services for the Montgomery County (Md.) Department of Health and Human Services.
As the CBHO, Chief Jones will work with people with lived expertise, Behavioral Health Providers, elected officials, people who use drugs, and other stakeholders to transform how Illinois supports mental, emotional, and overall behavioral health wellness for everyone. As a behavioral health administrator for more than 25 years, Chief Jones has developed in-depth knowledge of state and federal regulations, including Medicaid managed care and mental health rehabilitation standards.
Additionally, he has national experience developing multi-disciplinary coalitions to affect sustainable community-level change. Chief Jones earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Science in Community School/Clinical Child Psychology from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.?
Furthermore, Laura Garcia, who most recently served as Chief of Staff for SUPR, has been named the Director of the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery.
For two decades Laura has worked to expand behavioral health services that improve the social determinants of health for individuals, families, and communities socially and systematically disenfranchised. Laura previously served as the Director of Clinical Programs for the Salvation Army and Program Administrator for Healthcare Alternative Systems (HAS). She completed a Master of Arts from DePaul University, a second Master's degree in Counseling from Governors State University, is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC).
She is committed to IDHS/SUPR's mission to provide a system of prevention, treatment, and recovery where individuals with substance use disorders, those in recovery and those at risk are valued, treated with dignity and where stigma and accompanying attitudes are eliminated.
Felicia Anderson has joined the SUPR team as a Discretionary Prevention Grant Specialist in the Bureau of Prevention Services.
Matthew Grey has joined the SUPR team as the Criminal Justice Manager in the Bureau of Planning, Performance Measurement, and Federal Programs.
Assessing & Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR)-SUD Training:
Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment professionals make decisions every day about how to support individuals in care who may also be at risk of suicide. Suicide is a leading cause of death among people who misuse alcohol and other substances.
The AMSR for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Professionals (AMSR-SUD) curriculum develops skills in the recognition, assessment, and management of suicide risk and the delivery of effective suicide-specific interventions.
These trainings are for professionals who offer any level of substance use treatment to individuals at risk for suicide, including professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurses.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) Funding Opportunities:
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced two Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) funding opportunities to expand and increase access to evidence-based mental health and substance use services for all Americans. This includes providing essential mental health services to vulnerable communities that would otherwise lack access to services.
For information on each program, please visit CCBHC- Planning, Development, and Implementation and CCBHC- Improvement and Advancement.
DEA Expands Access to MAR: Updates to the 3-Day Rule:
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has formulated new guidance related to the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) including ways to expand access to Medication Assisted Recovery (MAR), including buprenorphine, buprenorphine/naloxone, and methadone.
Under 21 CFR 1306.07(b), a physician is authorized to administer "narcotic drugs to a person for the purpose of relieving acute withdrawal symptoms when necessary while arrangements are being made for referral for treatment," even if that physician is not registered as a Narcotic Treatment Program (NTP).
A limitation of this regulation includes that "not more than one day's medication may be administered to the person or for the person's use at one time. Such emergency treatment may be carried out for not more than three days and may not be renewed or extended."
In December 2020, Congress directed the DEA to revise subsection 1306.07(b) to allow for a three-day supply of medication to be dispensed at one time. Pub. L. 116-215. Consistent with this directive, DEA is working to amend 21 CFR 1306.07(b). In the meantime, the DEA is providing practitioners with the following option.
In accordance with 21 CFR 1307.03, a DEA-registered practitioner working in a hospital, clinic, or emergency room, or any DEA-registered hospital/clinic that allows practitioners to operate under their registration number as per 21 CFR 1301.22(c), may request an exception to the one-day supply limitation currently imposed pursuant to 21 CFR 1306.07(b).
Consistent with Pub. L. 116-215, DEA will grant such requests to allow a practitioner to dispense up to a three-day supply of the medication under the circumstances described in subsection 1306.07(b).
Requests for exception must be emailed to: ODLP@dea.gov Please add the following to the subject line: Request for Exception to Limitations on Dispensing for OUD.
For additional information, please visit Instructions to Request for Exceptions and DEA Diversion Control Division.
COVID-19 Exceptions:
A gentle reminder that COVID-19 exceptions are still in effect and have no expiration date currently. Services delivered through Telehealth are still acceptable.
Please review the Provider Notice from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) dated March 20, 2020, "Telehealth Services Expansion Prompted by COVID-19"
IDHS/SUPR has also sent several communications regarding the COVID-19 Exception that you can review.
Recovery Residences Registry
The IDHS/SUPR Recovery Residence Registry has been moved to the Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances to streamline searches, rather than looking in a separate place for recovery residence information. Information in the registry helps IDHS/SUPR better understand recovery residences' capacity and support for Medication Assisted Recovery. If you partner with a residence that is not listed, please invite them to register and/or contact Kimberly.Sriner@illinois.gov to list the organization. Search the Recovery Residences Registry at any time.
Overdose Response Funding Updates:
SUPR publishes a quarterly report summarizing funded projects in response to the overdose crisis. We invite you to review the Overdose Response Funding Report at your convenience.
Smart Alerts and Other Communications:
DHS Coronavirus
SAMHSA COVID-19:
Summary of SUPR Opioid Resources
Smart Alerts
SUPR COVID-19 Communications