Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board
Workforce Development and Infrastructure Workgroup
January 8, 2024
Virtual Meeting Held Via Zoom
Meeting Minutes
Workforce Development and Infrastructure Workgroup Members
Blanca Campos, Community Behavioral Healthcare Association (Chair)
Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, Live4Lali
Angie Hampton, Egyptian Health Department
Kristin Hanblock, Rosecrance
Theressa Perdieu, CEAD Council (DBA Hour House)
John Horsely, Kenneth Young Center
Mila Tsagalis, DuPage County Health Department
Lora Passetti, Chestnut Health Systems
Chris Schaffner, JOLT Harm Reduction
Dr. Trenton Fedrick, Habilitative Systems, Inc.
Michelle Saddler, Kittleman and Associates
Tom Wright, MD, Rosecrance
Angel Cruz, Peoria County Sheriff's Office
Jen Nagel-Fischer, The Porchlight Collective, SAP
Bessie Alcantara, Alternatives, Inc.
Welcome and Roll Call
Sue Pickett, PhD of Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), facilitator, welcomed the group and roll call was taken. All members were presents except for Blanca Compos, Bessie Alcantara, Michelle Sadler, Angel Cruz, and Dr. Tom Wright. Quorum was established.
Review and Approval of December 11, 2023 Meeting Minutes
Ms. Hampton, who facilitated the meeting in Ms. Campos' absence, called for a motion to approve the December meeting minutes. Lora Passetti made a motion to approve the minutes. Teressa Perdieu seconded the motion. All members present voted in favor of approving the minutes. The motion passed.
2024 Meeting Schedule
As of January 2024, all IORAB working groups will meet every other month instead of monthly. The next workgroup meeting will be on Monday, March 11, 2024. Dr. Pickett will send an updated Zoom calendar invitation to the group.
Priority Recommendation for the IORAB
Dr. Pickett provided an update on the recommendation approved at the last work group meeting: "Provide funding to support paid training experiences/field training and the expansion of dedicated supervision, including, but not limited to, entry-level and early career clinicians, peer support specialists, harm reduction providers, and individuals working toward licensure or supervision." The Access & Equity Working Group voted at their December 2023 meeting to support this recommendation as well. The recommendation has been submitted to and is being reviewed by the Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator (SOSA).
- Ms. Hampton noted that her organization is experiencing great difficulty hiring CADCs and is pleased that this recommendation is being put forward.
- A group member mentioned that it has been difficult to recruit peers who are newly sober. Ms. Hampton shared that her agency removed the one-year sobriety requirement, and this has been helpful in recruiting peers.
- A group member asked why total abstinence in a requirement for employing people with lived experience (PLE). People who use drugs (PWUD) should be allowed and invited to work in this space. Recovery can include moderate substance use and harm reduction. They noted that their agency hires PWUD, and these individuals are more effective in their work because of their lived experience. Another group member noted that unlike harm reduction organization, treatment organizations require that to provide treatment, it is important that employees are not actively in their addiction. Another group member stressed that not all PWUD use chaotically, and we need to address stigma that PWUD can't be role models or share their experiences of wellness.
- Dr. Barnett, IDHS/SUPR, brought up an issue discussed at earlier meetings about what supervision scenarios might look like under this funding given the types of billing structures (e.g., grant funding versus insurance billing) and settings (e.g., harm reduction, mental health, substance use, peers, etc.). Different financial models have different implications for how clinical supervision or field training is compensated. Dr. Barnett suggested that the group describe the nuances of the different supervision scenarios to have a better understanding of the various compensation options that are currently available. Dr. Pickett and Ms. Campos will gather data on the various scenarios in which supervision might occur.
- A group member expressed confusion regarding how the different types of provider contracts affect the treatment organizations with fixed-rate budgets. When thinking about the recommendation and options for paid field experiences, there is concern whether or not providers would be able to bill for services rendered. An example was shared of hiring interns and practicum students and being prevented from billing for their time against a treatment contract because the positions are funded by settlement dollars. Billing across funders would add a layer of complication to providers' billing systems and to providing services that are already in organizations' treatment continuum.
- A group member proposed that the working group explore a recommendation related to retention. Staff are leaving state-operated facilities to work in for-profit organizations, especially in online behavioral health spaces that are primarily commercially insured and reimbursed. We need to come up with ways to incentivize staff to remain at their agencies.
- Ms. Hampton shared that her organization raised salaries about four times over the last two years in order to stay competitive, and other organizations are doing the same thing, which makes it hard to keep up. Other working group members discussed engaging in the same tactic as a means to boost recruitment and retention, yet noted that it isn't sustainable, and leads to wage compression. A possible solution would involve offering incentives for longevity that overlays the existing fixed rate contracts.
Public Participation
* No members of the public attended the meeting.
Adjourn
* Ms. Hampton thanked participants and adjourned the meeting. The next meeting of the Workforce Development & Infrastructure Working Group is Monday, March 11, 2024 from 11 am-12 pm.
