Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board
Access & Equity Working Group Meeting
January 9, 2024
Virtual Meeting Held Via Zoom
Meeting Minutes
Access and Equity Working Group Members
Joel K. Johnson, TASC, Inc. (Chair)
David Gomel, PhD, Rosecrance
Mike Tyson, Take Action Today
Shane Pettigrew, Illinois State Police
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
Charles Stratton, Department of Human Resources, Sangamon County
James L. Grafton, Administrator, Rock Island County
Diana Bottari, MD, Advocate Aurora Health
Blanca Campos, Community Behavioral Healthcare Association
John Werning, Chicago Recovery Alliance
Mark Mulroe, A Safe Haven Foundation
Christopher Hoff, DuPage County Health Department
Michael Wahl, MD, Illinois Poison Center, Illinois Health and Hospital Association
Matthew Richards, Chicago Department of Public Health
Welcome and Roll Call
Joel Johnson welcomed the group and called the meeting to order. Sue Pickett, PhD of Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), facilitator, conducted roll call. David Gomel, Diana Bottari, Blanca Campos, Mark Mulroe, Christopher Hoff, and Matthew Richards were not present. All other members were present. Quorum was established.
Review and Approval of December 12, 2023 Meeting Minutes
The December 12, 2023 meeting minutes were reviewed. Mr. Johnson called for a motion to approve the meeting minutes. Dr. Devitt made a motion to approve the meeting minutes. Dr. Wahl seconded the motion to approve the meeting minutes. Jim Wilkerson, MS, LCPC, Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (IDHS/SUPR), requested the following edits to the minutes on behalf of Dr. Rafael Rivera, IDHS/SUPR Chief of Staff (changes from the original version are in italics):
- "A question was asked about funding for Emergent Devices. Funding for Emergent Devices was for Access Narcan and approved before intramuscular naloxone was approved by the Steering Committee. If anyone has further questions about this, Dr. Rivera can be emailed at rafael.rivera@illinois.gov."
- "An entity that had a grant agreement with SUPR received a smaller amount of funding than expected and received opioid settlement funding, and a working group member asked why this occurred. Dr. Rivera said this was because their grant agreement was adjusted after some funding was not used. The adjustment was timed to reduce administrative burden, such that the OSF was provided at the same time the SUPR funding was right-sized. This was not a supplanting of dollars."
- All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the approving the minutes with the requested changes. The motion passed. Dr. Pickett will revise the minutes and send them to the group.
2024 Meeting Schedule
Dr. Pickett said that in 2024, working group meetings will take place every other month instead of monthly. The group will receive a new meeting invitation.
Priority Recommendations for the IORAB
Mr. Johnson said that a settlement Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was released in December, and asked members to share it widely. Dr. Pickett said that the recommendation to provide funding to support training, scholarships, and supervision was submitted to IDHS/SUPR. Mr. Wilkerson said that they have completed an initial review of the recommendation and are now completing background work.
- A working group member asked for clarification regarding the distinction between peer support workers, recovery coaches, and community health workers. The group discussed the Community Outreach and Recovery Support (CORS) model, in which recovery support workers and peer support workers are delivering services related to substance use and the social determinants of health. In contrast, community health workers support persons with many different health issues. What distinguishes a peer recovery/peer support worker from community mental health provider is the direct lived experience that is shared with others and is the based for providing services. There are peer recovery specialists for other types of lived experience (aside from substance use).
- The working group reviewed the allocation agreement and approved settlement fund uses in order to spur ideas for new recommendations. Mr. Johnson noted the working group could consider the use of technology, including telehealth and apps, as a means of expanding access to services. The group could consider developing a subgroup of the working group, or a new working group, dedicated to technology. The group discussed the following:
- A working group member noted that he recently submitted a recommendation related to a mobile app that supports community engagement and is integrated with peer support. Many areas in Illinois aren't covered by behavioral health providers, and technology could be used to leverage support.
- Knowing where to find vetted organizations that provide apps or services related to technology would be helpful, such as a vetted list of providers. Not knowing where to go to obtain these services is a barrier to access.
- There are a growing number of applications that can supplement treatment with clinicians. The threat of providers being replaced is a challenge.
- Cybersecurity and additional barriers such as patient access to devices and Wi-Fi must be considered.
- Providers that utilize technology in service provision or who are aware of apps could be consulted, but persons selling apps should not be included in working group meetings.
- The group agreed that a recommendation related to the use of technology is worth pursuing. Mr. Johnson encourage the group to think about technology-based/telehealth recommendation, as well as any other recommendations, and plan to discuss these ideas at the March meeting.
- A working group member asked a question about recommendations related to fentanyl test strips under harm reduction. Dr. Pickett noted that there is an approved recommendation related to fentanyl test strips. Mr. Wilkerson said this is currently under consideration. Clarification is needed regarding whether or not other types of test strips could be used. In the future, recommendation language should be broad enough to capture evolving needs.
Public Participation
No members of the public were present. Mr. Johnson noted that during a prior meeting, public participants had made comments during the member portion of the meeting. Going forward, the group will adhere to the meeting structure, with public participants using the chat to make comments and speaking only during the public participation portion of the meeting.
Adjourn
Mr. Johnson asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Stratton made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Wahl seconded the motion. All working group members present voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed. The next Access & Equity working group meeting will be held via Zoom on March 12, from 10:30am-11:30am.
