Access & Equity Working Group Minutes 01.10.2022

Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board Access & Equity Working Group Meeting January 10, 2023 MINUTES

Access and Equity Working Group Members

  • Joel K. Johnson, TASC, Inc. (Chair)
  • Ty Bechel, Bechel and Associates
  • David Gomel, PhD, Rosecrance
  • Mike Tyson, Take Action Today
  • Shane Pettigrew, Illinois State Police
  • Wyvetta Grainger, Community Member
  • Rebecca Estrada, Deputy Commissioner of Youth Services, City of Chicago
  • Stacey Stottler, Illinois Community College Board
  • Don Otis, Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center of St. Clair County
  • Jonnell Benson-Cobbs, DPN, Serenity Treatment and Counseling Center
  • Tim Devitt, PsyD, Private Practice
  • Gail Richardson, West Side Opioid Task Force
  • Debbie Holsapple, Jefferson County Comprehensive Services
  • Michelle Saddler, Kittleman & Associates, LLC
  • Charles Stratton, Department of Human Resources, Sangamon County
  • James L. Grafton, Administrator, Rock Island County
  • Jennifer Lehman, Burlington Community School District
  • Diana Bottari, MD, Advocate Aurora Health

Welcome and Roll Call

  • Joel Johnson, Access & Equity Working Group Chair, welcomed the group and called the meeting to order. Sue Pickett, PhD of Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), facilitator, conducted roll call. All members were present except for Shane Pettigrew, Wyvetta Grainger, Rebecca Estrada, Stacey Stottler, Don Otis, James Grafton, and Jennifer Lehman.

Review and Approval of December 7, 2022 Meeting Minutes

  • Ms. Saddler made a motion to approve the December 7, 2022 meeting minutes. Ms. Richardson seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed.

SOSA Updates, Sherrine Peyton, IDHS/SUPR Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator (SOSA)

Prioritizing Access & Equity Working Group Recommendations

  • Mr. Johnson reviewed the working group mission statement: The Access & Equity Working Group's purpose is to provide recommendations to the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board regarding social and historical factors that impact access to affirming and culturally competent programs, practices, and policies intended to serve communities experiencing disparities in opioid use, overdoses, and other substance use disorders to make systemic changes for optimal health.
  • Mr. Johnson reviewed the recommendations made at the December meeting:
    • Making naloxone available in all schools and training school personnel on naloxone administration.
    • Increasing access to naloxone in public spaces, such as libraries.
    • Increased access to fentanyl test strips.
    • Workforce development initiatives to address behavioral health workforce shortages.
    • Stigma reduction, including stigma reduction campaigns aimed at school-aged youth.
    • Increased access to MAR in rural communities.
    • Addressing social determinants of health, including affordable housing, healthcare and employment, in communities experiencing high rates of fatal and non-fatal overdoses.
    • Addressing racial disparities in Suboxone prescribing.
  • Mr. Johnson stated that recommendations that promote access and equity can be discussed and fleshed out during working group meetings. The group may want to prioritize recommendations for which there is no funding source, or recommendations that would expand existing funding. Ms. Peyton stated that the working group may propose a dollar amount for recommendations.
  • Working group members reviewed recommendations developed at the December 2022 meeting as well as the following:
    • Services for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder (OUD).
    • Infrastructure development for small and new, emerging agencies.
    • Practical assistance to accessing services, including the social determinants of health and assertive outreach to engage people in precontemplation stages of change.
    • Sustainable funding strategies for harm reduction services, including overdose prevention sites.
    • Adding peer-to-peer outreach to abatement strategies to impact access and equity.
    • There are many important workforce issues to address, including loan forgiveness, paid internships, and marketing efforts to reduce stigma and create career pathways.
    • Empowering primary care providers to treatment people with OUD.
    • Expanding naloxone training to include children, school-age youth, and the general public.
  • The following recommendations were adopted:
    • Create IORAB working group on workforce development. Ms. Holsapple and Mr. Bechel made a motion to recommend the creation of an IORAB working group on workforce development. Dr. Bottari seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed.
    • Provide funding for services for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD. Dr. Bottari made a motion to recommend funding for services for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD. Dr. Benson-Cobbs seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed.
    • Fund infrastructure support for small and emerging organizations. Mr. Bechel made a motion to recommend funding for infrastructure support for small and emerging organizations. Mr. Tyson seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed.
    • Provide sustainable funding for services that increase access to OUD treatment and recovery, including assertive outreach, peer-led team services, harm reduction, and practical assistance related to social determinants of health. Dr. Devitt made a motion to recommend sustainable funding for services that increase access to opioid use disorder treatment and recovery, including assertive outreach, peer-led team services, harm reduction, and practical assistance related to social determinants of health. Ms. Richardson seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed.
    • Fund an Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) pilot. Dr. Bottari made a motion to recommend funding for an Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) pilot. Dr. Devitt seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed.

Public Participation

  • No members of the public attended the meeting. No comments from the public were forwarded prior to the meeting.

Adjourn

  • Ms. Saddler made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Holsapple seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed. Mr. Johnson thanked participants and adjourned the meeting. The next Access & Equity Working Group meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM.