Illinois Opioid Remediation Board Meeting Minutes 9.30.2022

Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board

September 30, 2022

10 - 11:30 AM

Virtual Meeting Held Via WebEx

MEETING MINUTES

Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board Members

  • Dr. Adrienne Adams, Rosecrance
  • Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago Department of Public Health
  • Karen Ayala, DuPage County Health Department
  • Eddy Borrayo, Rincon Family Services
  • Ryan Brauns, Rockford Consulting & Brokerage
  • Blanca Campos, Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois
  • Jud DeLos, 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
  • Joel K. Johnson, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, Inc.
  • Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, Live4Lali
  • Laura Lechowicz, Office of the Cook County President
  • Dana Rosenzweig, St. Clair County Mental Health Board
  • 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

Welcome and Roll Call

David T. Jones, CBHO and Chair of the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board (IORAB) welcomed the group. He explained that IORAB meetings are subject to the Open Meetings Act. Roll call is required for all votes and to establish quorum. Roll call of the 16 IORAB members was taken. Each member was present and acknowledged their role as a voting member of the Board; quorum was established. The ex-officio roll call was taken. All members except Chief of Staff Vaught and Attorney General Raoul were present. Michael Morthland, IDPH Deputy Chief of Staff, attended on behalf of Chief of Staff Vaught. Adam Braun and Susan Ellis attended on behalf of Attorney General Raoul.

Opening Remarks

  • Chief Jones provided a brief overview of the status of the overdose epidemic in Illinois. In 2021, there were 3,013 fatalities due to opioid overdose in Illinois. This represents a 2.3% increase from 2020 and a 35.8% increase from 2019 according to the Statewide Semiannual Opioid Report May 2022.
  • Evidence-based strategies can mitigate overdose deaths, particularly when sustained treatment, harm reduction and fiscal investment are integrated. We are taking immediate action to advance effective evidence-based strategies and leverage IORAB members' expertise as thought leaders to guide decisions determining how settlement funds will be utilized.
  • Sherrine Peyton, Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator (SOSA), IDHS/Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR) introduced herself. Ms. Peyton and her team will be responsible for staffing the IORAB and managing the Office of Opioid Settlement Administration.

Review of the Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA)

Daniel Gruber, Associate General Counsel, IDHS, provided an overview of the Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA) and how it pertains to IORAB proceedings.

The OMA requires public bodies conducting public business to do so openly and with advance notice, except in very limited situations. The public must be given advance notice of the time, place, and subject matter of those meetings. This gives the public the opportunity to attend meetings and address officials. IORAB meeting notices and agendas must be posted on the IDHS website 48 hours in advance of the meeting. Meeting minutes must be taken and include a list of members in attendance and a record of any votes taken. The public must be given the opportunity to speak during the meeting.

  • Mr. Gruber further clarified that the definition of a public meeting applies only when a majority of a quorum is gathered. The term quorum refers to the minimum number of members who must be present to take official action. A majority of a quorum is the smallest number of members of a public body to control action when a quorum is present. Thus, nine members of the IORAB must be present to establish quorum-half plus one.
  • Quorum must be present to discuss public business, including deliberation and voting. Therefore, IORAB members cannot discuss committee business outside of meetings. IORAB members should contact the IDHS General Counsel for more information on this requirement.
  • IORAB members should be transparent about any personal involvement or conflicts of interest that may affect funding regulations. Potential conflicts of interest should be discussed with the IORAB Chair and/or the IDHS Ethics Officer at DHS.EthicsOfficer@illinois.gov
  • OMA also requires that the IORAB appoint one member to serve as designate; this person is responsible for staying apprised of OMA requirements. All IORAB members are required to complete the OMA training once and the designate must complete OMA training annually. In addition, ethics training needs to be completed on an annual basis. Information can be found on the IORAB website.

Welcoming Remarks

  • Mr. Braun provided welcoming remarks on behalf of Attorney General Raoul, who was unable to attend the meeting due to technical difficulties.
  • Secretary Hou welcomed the group and provided a brief review of state efforts to date that address the opioid epidemic. This includes the State Overdose Action Plan (SOAP), which was released by Governor Pritzker in March 2022. Go to State of Illinois Opioid Action Plan 2022 to view and download a copy of the SOAP. Settlement funds will align with SOAP priority recommendations.

IORAB Structure and Process

Chief Jones provided an overview of IORAB structure and process (see handout).

Our goal is to align, coordinate and integrate efforts across systems. The IORAB will serve as a subcommittee to the Governor's Opioid Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee. The Board will seek to ensure equitable allocation of resources to all parts of the state and make recommendations about abatement strategies to the Steering Committee. The Board may also work with the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council, the statewide stakeholder group that also is a subcommittee of the Steering Committee.

  • The IORAB will consist of 16 voting members and 11 non-voting ex-officio members. It will be chaired by the CBHO, who also is an ex-officio member. The SOSA will staff and support the IORAB.
  • The IORAB can create two (or more) working groups that will be chaired by an IORAB member. Additional individuals (i.e., non-IORAB members) may be appointed to working groups by Secretary Hou. Working groups will develop recommendations that align with the SOAP and bring those to the IORAB. The IORAB votes on recommendations; recommendations that pass are brought to the Steering Committee.
  • A motion was made by Mr. Johnson to establish an Access & Equity working group and a Medical & Research working group. The motion was seconded by Mr. Borrayo.
    • Board members asked how the working groups were identified. Chief Jones explained that these working groups were suggested to incorporate the SOAP's focus on social equity and the need to include clinical expertise in informing IORAB recommendations.
    • Board members asked how the Council will interact with the IORAB. It was noted that several people serve both on the Council and IORAB; joint communication across these individuals and groups will avoid duplication of effort. The Council can also serve as a resource for the IORAB's as they consider abatement strategies.
  • All IORAB members voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed to create the Access & Equity and Medical & Research working groups.

National Opioid Settlements

Adam Braun, Susan Ellis and Andrea Law from the Attorney's General Office provided an overview of the national opioid and Illinois opioid settlements

  • In 2019, the Illinois Attorney General filed two different lawsuits against various opioid manufacturers and the three largest pharmaceutical distributors. Settlements with Johnson & Johnson and Distributors were announced in July 2021; these entities will pay $21.5B nationally over the next 18 years. Additional national settlements are ongoing. For more information go to: National Opioid Settlement.
  • The Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement governs how funds from the national opioid settlements are allocated in Illinois. Twenty percent is allocated for the State, 25% will support local subdivisions and 55% will support the Illinois Remediation Fund. To date, 94 counties and 78 eligible municipalities have joined the agreement.
  • It is estimated that the Illinois Remediation Fund will receive approximately $437M over 18 years. Funds disbursed from the Remediation Fund will support uses included in the list of approved abatement programs. In addition, funds from the Remediation Fund require equitable allocation within seven regions of the state and considering population and other factors relevant to opioid abatement. The IORAB will develop and review recommendations for allocating Remediation Funds, ensuring that recommendations align with the core abatement strategies and geographic disbursement requirements outlined in the Illinois Opioid Agreement.

Prioritizing Core Abatement Strategies and New and Enhanced Strategies for Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP)

Laura Garcia, Director, IDHS/SUPR, described the core abatement strategies and presented information for new and enhanced strategies targeting opioid treatment programs (OTPs)

  • Settlement funding must support treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and co-occurring disorders (CODs) and mental health conditions through evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and/or strategies that can include but are not limited to eight core abatement strategies.
  • Currently, more than 12,000 people with a diagnosed OUD are engaged in services provided by IDHS/SUPR licensed OTPs. New and expanded community intervention services suggested by OTPs align with core abatement strategies to support new community services such as partnering with IDOC and local jails to provide people with a history of substance use disorders naloxone at prison/jail release, establishing "Handle with Care" models for children exposed to an overdose episode, and partnering with harm reduction outreach services to establish medication assisted recovery (MAR) mobile health units.
  • The Community Outreach and Recovery Support (CORS) Model pilot promotes collaboration between SUPR licensed providers and local stakeholders to develop outreach initiatives that address the needs of communities and families affected by OUDs. Outreach teams will engage people living with an OUD. The pilot would also allow OTPs to develop unique community services for at-risk populations and children, as well as special populations and those facing barriers to obtaining services.
  • Ms. Laliberte Barnes made a motion to recommend a $3M expansion for community intervention services and $5M CORS Model pilot to be forwarded to the Steering Committee for approval. The motion was seconded by Ms. Campos.
    • Board members asked how and where funds for these recommendations would be disbursed. Director Garcia and Secretary Hou explained that the community intervention services would be delivered through existing grants with IDHS/SUPR licensed providers. The goal is to provide immediate relief in the most efficient way possible to providers to enhance services in communities of greatest need. More information about funding for the CORS will be forthcoming and shared with organizations about how to obtain funding. As outlined by the Illinois Opioid Agreement, investments will be made in areas of highest need.
    • Board members asked how often the effectiveness of recommended interventions would be measured. Chief Jones noted that partnerships with academic partners would advise on strategies for developing metrics and frequency of assessing metrics.
  • All IORAB members voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed. The IORAB will forward the recommendation to expand community intervention services and implement the CORS Model pilot to the Steering Committee.

Public Participation

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

Adjourn

Chief Jones thanked everyone for their participation and adjourned the meeting.