IORAB Medical & Research Workgroup Minutes 12.8.22

MEETING MINUTES

Medical and Research Working Group Members

  • Adrienne Adams, MD, Rosecrance (Chair)
  • Nicole Gastala, MD, IDHS, SUPR
  • Jessica Perillo, Boone County Health Department
  • Joan Stevens Thome, Sangamon County Health Department
  • Katie Unthank, Egyptian Health Department
  • Michael Dennis, PhD, Lighthouse Research Institute, Chestnut Health Systems
  • Tamara Olt, MD, Broken No More, Jolt Foundation
  • Doug Smith, PhD, University of Illinois
  • Dana Ray, MD, Crossings Healthcare
  • Ernest Rose, MD, Rose Medical Association
  • Katherine Austman, MD, Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services
  • Katharine (Kitty) Juul, Southern Illinois University (SIU)
  • Kathryn Bocanegra, PhD, Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
  • Lindsay Wilson, CDC Foundation
  • Michael Isaacson, Kane County Health Department
  • Amanda Mehl, Boone County Health Department
  • Dan Lustig, PsyD, MA, Haymarket Center

Welcome and Roll Call

  • Sue Pickett, PhD of Advocates for Human Potential, Inc., facilitator, welcomed the group and roll call was taken. All members were present except for Joan Stevens Thome, Tamara Olt, MD, Ernest Rose, MD, and Amanda Mehl. Adrienne Adams MD, Medical & Research Working Group Chair, welcomed the group. Sherrine Peyton, Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (IDHS/SUPR), Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator (SOSA), introduced herself.

Review of Illinois Open Meetings Act

  • John Schomberg, General Counsel, IDHS, provided an overview of the Open Meetings Act (OMA) which pertains to the working group meetings. OMA is a public statute that requires meetings to be open to the general public and has rules and regulations pertaining to agenda posting, quorum, potential conflicts of interest, and training.
  • All working group members must complete OMA training

Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board Overview

  • Sherrine Peyton, IDHS/SUPR Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator (SOSA), provided an overview of the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board (IORAB) structure. The IORAB is a subcommittee of the Governor's Opioid Prevention Recovery Steering Committee, which oversees the funds of the overdose remediation settlement agreement. The IORAB has two working groups, Access & Equity and Medical & Research. The working groups provide recommendations to the Advisory Board as subject matter experts.

Medical & Research Working Mission Statement

  • Members reviewed the draft working group statement and discussed how to revise it. The group revised the statement to include geographical and other types of health disparities:
    • The Medical & Research working group's purpose is to provide recommendations to the Illinois Opioid Resettlement Advisory Board regarding allocation of the opioid settlement fund. The mission of the Medical & Research working group is to determine the best evidence-based treatments and emerging medical practices for opioid use and other substance use disorders through analysis of current and relevant data and to implement a systemic framework that distributes resources to at-risk populations to maximize positive outcomes and reduce health inequities and/or disparities associated with racial, socio-economic, geographical, and other social determinants of health.
  • Dr. Austman made a motion to adopt the mission statement. Mr. Isaacson seconded the motion. A roll call vote was conducted. All voted in favor of adopting the mission statement. The motion was passed.

State of Illinois Overdose Action Plan (SOAP) Implementation Report

  • Dr. Pickett provided an overview of the SOAP and the SOAP November 2022 Implementation Report (see handouts). The SOAP was released by Governor Pritzker in March 2022. It includes 25 priorities created by the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council and state agencies to reduce overdose deaths statewide. Priorities are compiled into five categories: social equity, prevention, treatment and recovery, harm reduction, and justice-involved populations and public safety. The SOAP's social equity framework addresses racial disparities in overdose fatalities and access to treatment and recovery support services.
  • The November 2022 SOAP Implementation Report summarizes work on priorities as of September 2022 and includes overdose data analyzed by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Work has begun on all 25 priorities. Notable achievements include increased distribution of naloxone statewide through the Access Narcan program, and implementation of mobile medication assisted recovery (MAR) in regions experiencing high rates of overdose fatalities. IDPH data show that racial disparities in overdose rates persist, and synthetic opioids (e.g., fentanyl) continue to be the main cause of overdose fatalities statewide.

Working Group Recommendations

Dr. Adams led a discussion of the November 2022 SOAP Implementation Report and its implications for the group's work. Members suggested that the group consider future discussions regarding the following:

  • Increased access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) within the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC): Working group members agreed to obtain information that could be shared with IDOC on MOUD as a best practice and buprenorphine prescribing in correctional settings. It was noted that Health Management Associates (HMA) oversees a project assisting county jails to implement MOUD and might be invited to a future working group meeting to present their work.
  • SOAP Priority 10 (increase initiation to buprenorphine in emergency departments for people who present with opioid overdoses and/or in acute withdrawal), Priority 12 (increase access to MAR for pregnant and postpartum women) and Priority 20 (implement system-level policies and interventions to reduce rates of maternal morbidity and mortality among pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder) also were suggested as potential issues the group could examine.

Public Participation

  • No comments from the public were forwarded prior to the meeting. No comments from the public were entered into the meeting chat.

2023 Meeting Schedule

  • The meeting schedule was discussed. Meetings will be held on the third Tuesday of the month from 12:00-1:00. The next meeting is January 17, 2023.

Adjourn

  • Dr. Austman made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Dr. Ray seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed. Dr. Adams thanked participants and adjourned the meeting.