Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board
October 5, 2023
2:00 - 4:00 PM
Virtual Meeting Held Via Zoom
MEETING MINUTES
Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board Members
Dr. Adrienne Adams, Rosecrance
Eddy Borrayo, Rincon Family Services
Ryan Brauns, Rockford Consulting & Brokerage
Blanca Campos, Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois
Jud DeLoss, Illinois Association of Behavioral Health
Jeffrey Carl Ewing, Monmouth-Roseville CUSD #238
Dr. Bernice Gordon-Young, SMART Recovery Intervention Program
Angie Hampton, Egyptian Health Department
Christopher Hoff, DuPage County Health Department
Joel K. Johnson, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, Inc.
Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, Live4Lali
Laura Lechowicz, Office of the Cook County President
Donna Nahlik, Chestnut Health Systems
Matthew Richards, Chicago Department of Public Health
Dr. Kathy Yoder, McLean County
Kevin Zeigler, Thresholds
Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board Ex Officio Members
David T. Jones, Chief Behavioral Health Officer (CBHO)
Secretary Grace Hou, Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)
Laura Vaught, Chief of Staff, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
Director Brendan Kelly, Illinois State Police (ISP)
Dr. Arvind Goyal, Medical Director, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS)
Jennifer Parrack, Chief of Programs and Support Services, Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC)
Kwame Raoul, Attorney General
State Representative Patrick Windhorst
State Representative LaShawn Ford
State Senator Sally Turner
Call to Order/Welcome
Chief Jones welcomed the group.
Roll Call and Approve Agenda and 7.13.23 Meeting Minutes
Dr. Sue Pickett, Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), facilitator, took the roll call of the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board (IORAB). All members except Eddy Borrayo, Jeffrey Carl Ewing, Matthew Richards, Dr. Kathy Yoder, and Kevin Zeigler were present. Quorum was established. The ex officio roll call was taken. All members were present except Secretary Grace Hou, Laura Vaught, Director Kelly, Jennifer Parrack, and Representative Windhorst were present. Andrea Law, Adam Braun, Susan Ellis, and Dr. Monique Anawis attended on behalf of Attorney General Raoul. Anousheu Alie attended on behalf of Representative Ford.
Chief Jones called for a motion to approve the agenda and the July 13, 2023 meeting minutes. Mr.
Johnson made a motion to approve the agenda and the minutes. Ms. Campos seconded the motion. All
IORAB members who were present voted to approve the agenda. Ms. Nahlik abstained. All other
members who were present voted to approve the meeting minutes. The motion passed.
Chairperson's Welcome Remarks: David T. Jones, CBHO/Chair
Opioid Transparency Statement
Chief Jones shared the following opioid transparency statement: The Illinois Department of Human
Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (IDHS/SUPR) will be transparent and
accountable for using the opioid settlement funds by annually publishing a report of settlement funds
received and distributed. The report will be accessible through the IDHS: Illinois Opioid Crisis
Response Advisory Council (state.il.us) website.
Steering Committee Update
The Governor's Opioid Overdose Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee met on September 27,
2023 and voted unanimously to approve all nine recommendations put forward by the IORAB after the
July meeting. Eight of the nine recommendations included three years of funding totaling $62,500,000
(FY 2024-FY 2026). Funding for Community Outreach and Recovery Supports (CORS) had been
approved during a prior Steering Committee meeting for $5M and was increased to $10M. There was
no amount attached to the Capital Improvements recommendation; rather, the Steering Committee
voted to approve the use of funds for capital improvements.
July 13, 2023, IORAB Questions and Responses
Chief Jones said members received a document with a response to questions posed during the July 13,
2023 IORAB meeting. In the future, when questions posed during IORAB meetings require more
research, responses will be obtained and included in a document that accompanies the agenda.
Working Group Updates
Medical & Research: Adrienne Adams, MD, Chair
The working group is discussing potential new recommendations, including expanding contingency
management for OUD, providing support for peer recovery support specialists, and providing support
for care of wounds sustained by persons with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Access & Equity: Joel K. Johnson, Chair
The working group discussed Overdose Prevention Sites (OPS), which are not currently legal in Illinois
as well as strategies to ensure that settlement funding is equitable in communities and accessible to
small nonprofits and grassroots organizations.
Workforce & Infrastructure: Blanca Campos, Chair
The working group held its first two meetings this quarter. The group reviewed the State of Illinois
Overdose Action Plan (SOAP) Priority 2 pertaining to hiring and paying a living wage for people with
OUD, people in recovery, and people who have criminal records. Meeting discussions include the
importance of employee retention and wage and benefit enhancements, including for Certified
Recovery Support Specialists (CRSSs), and setting compensation standards for various positions and
credentials.
Office of Attorney General Kwame Raoul, National Opioid Settlements Updates: Andrea
Law, Deputy Bureau Chief, Health Care Bureau
Ms. Law provided the following update.
- The Walmart settlement is officially final.
- Mallinckrodt emerged from bankruptcy in 2022 and made an initial payment under the settlement
agreement. They have continued to experience financial distress and filed a second bankruptcy in
August 2023. The national settlement had to be renegotiated, and Mallinckrodt will make a second
and final payment which is anticipated later in 2023 or in early 2024. Under the initial settlement, a
little over 19M would have been received over the next 8 years. Under the new settlement, the
payment will total to a little over 6M.
* There has been a national settlement in principle on financial terms with Kroger. The agreement in
principle would include Kroger providing 1.2 billion in abatement funds over an 11-year period. This
is contingent upon the parties reaching an agreement on the non-monetary terms of the settlement.
If the settlement is finalized, we would expect 40-45M to come to Illinois, with about 20-25M
allocated to the remediation fund.
* An IORAB member asked about the risk of other companies filing for bankruptcy. Ms. Law said that
there is likely a spectrum of financial health among the companies, and financial health can be hard
to predict. There is no immediate indication that other companies will file for bankruptcy.
* An ex officio member asked if there were plans to shorten payment periods or freeze assets of
companies when agreements were reached. Ms. Law said there are no such plans and emphasized
that they don't currently anticipate bankruptcy to be a widespread issue with settlements. Mr. Braun
noted that the length and structure of any payment deal is heavily negotiated. In each instance, the
Attorney Generals have collectively advocated for the most immediate relief possible.
Office of Opioid Settlement Administration (OOSA) Updates: Sherrine Peyton, Statewide Opioid
Settlement Administrator, IDHS/SUPR
New Funding Recommendations Pending
Administrator Peyton stated that new recommendations have been submitted in the past quarter to the
OOSA and are under review. She reviewed the recommendation review process. This process includes
determining if the recommendation fits with existing efforts that were approved by the Steering
Committee and whether the recommendation is duplicating or supplanting existing efforts. Director
Garcia stated that every recommendation is viewed as a request for assistance. If a recommendation is
not appropriate for opioid settlement funds, IDHS/SUPR explore every option available to provide the
requestor with what they need.
* There was discussion about when notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs) could be expected for
approved recommendations. Administrator Peyton and Director Garcia explained that the exact
timeframe can't be provided, but the Regional Care Coordination Agency (RCCA) is developing the
NOFOs and is working hard to get the NOFOs released before the end of the year. The NOFO
notifications will be shared widely.
* An IORAB member asked if a document could be created that displays the steps after an approved
strategy goes through the state's procurement process. Clarification was also requested on how
much of the funds are currently committed. Administrator Peyton stated she will provide a detailed
answer to the question in writing.
Illinois Settlement Funds Website Update
The Illinois Opioid Settlements Initiative website is under construction. The website will include a State
settlement income and expenditures annual report, information on how to apply for NOFOs, a list of
Core Strategies and Approved Uses, tools and evidence-based guides, a data dashboard and other
data sources, an FAQ page, a portal for local governing entities to submit reports to the Attorney
General's Office, and a portal for Remediation Fund grantees to submit reports. The website will include
information on IORAB and IORAB working group meetings
Public Comments
A member of the public asked if there are any protections from money being repurposed by the state.
Adam Braun stated that under both the national settlements and intrastate allocation agreements
reached with counties and municipalities, money can only be used for specified purposes related to
abatement and remediation of the opioid crisis.
A member of the public asked about the status of a recommendation that was sent for review. Director
Garcia said the recommendation is under review to determine if it falls under one of the approved uses
of funding, if it supplants any funding, and what type of procurement process could be used for the
recommendation.
Adjournment
Chief Jones asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Dr. Bottari made a motion to adjourn the
meeting. Dr. Gordon-Young seconded the motion. The motion passed and the meeting was adjourned.
The next meeting will take place on January 18, 2024 from 2-4 pm.
