July 11, 2023 - Meeting Minutes

Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board

Access & Equity Working Group Meeting

July 11, 2023

Virtual Meeting Held Via Zoom

Meeting Minutes

Access and Equity Working Group Members

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. All members were present except for Ty Bechel, David Gomel, Wyvetta Grainger, Rebecca Estrada, Stacey Stottler, Don Otis, Debbie Holsapple, Michelle Saddler, James Grafton, Jennifer Lehman, Diana Bottari, Michelle Kavouras, Allison Arwady, and Melissa Hernandez. Quorum was not established.

Review and Approval of June 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes

The June 13, 2023 meeting minutes were reviewed. There were no edits to the minutes. The group agreed to vote on approval of the minutes by consensus. Mr. Tyson made a motion to approve the meeting minutes. Mr. Stratton seconded the motion. All working group members in attendance voted in favor of the motion. The motion passed.

Priority Recommendations for the IORAB

Sherrine Peyton, Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator (SOSA), provided an update on recommendations for the IORAB. Recommendations related to Pregnant and Postpartum People (PPP), infrastructure support for small and emerging organizations (capital improvement), and the Community Outreach and Recovery Support (CORS) model will be brought to the IORAB for a vote at the July 13 meeting. A total of seven core strategy recommendations and two other recommendations (capital improvement and the change to the CORS model) will be put forward. Dr. Pickett will send out a meeting link.

• A working group member said the Budget Implementation Bill (BIMP) includes language that approved a capital improvement grant from opioid settlement funds, and asked if it was duplicative. Ms. Peyton said while this legislation passed, the role of the group remains the same- to make recommendations on how the funds are spent.
• Mr. Johnson asked the group if there were any other recommendations they want to consider. All recommendations discussed now will be researched and proposed at the next IORAB meeting. The group could consider whether there is a core strategy or core service that has not yet been addressed. Dr. Pickett reviewed the list of items that the group proposed already; all but the Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) pilot have been addressed:
  • Creating a working group on workforce development
  • Providing funding for services for PPP
  • Infrastructure support for small and emerging organizations (capital improvement)
  • Sustainable funding for services that increase access to OUD treatment and recovery including assertive community outreach, peer-led team services, harm reduction, practical assistance related to the social determinants of health (CORS model and an additional proposal)
  • OPS pilot
• Ms. Peyton said the core services and strategies are identified at the national level. All states chose from this list. Different states have differing entities administering the services. Services that are not within DHS's purview will require a different process.
• There was discussion about an OPS. Ms. Peyton will check to see if a pilot or a planning grant would be a possibility. Working group members stated:
  • There has been a lot published about OPS already; is more research needed?
  • Pilot funding could provide support for OPS and information for legislators.
  • This could be an opportunity for a planning grant to build out infrastructure and best practices, so that when legislation is passed, we could hit the ground running.
  • We could also get research out to legislators who are not currently supportive.

Discussion: Ensuring Access and Equity in Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs)

Ms. Peyton said that one role for the working group is to address barriers to implementation or accessing funds. She facilitated a discussion about increasing access to NOFOs. She asked the working group about the barriers that prevent marginalized communities from accessing and/or responding to state NOFOs effectively. She also asked what prevents Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) or rural communities and organizations from accessing/responding to NOFOs effectively. Working group members stated:

• Models in which organizations are reimbursed for expenses after incurring costs are difficult. Some resettlement plans require organizations to have capital on the front end, and smaller organizations don't have access to it.
• Responding to grants is time consuming and complex. An application with 6-10 questions without a registration process could be helpful.
• We need to do a better job of communicating with communities. Who communicates with block clubs and those doing grassroots work? Different communication strategies that reach individuals and smaller entities more widely are needed. Could social media be used?
• Data requirements complicate the process for small organizations without infrastructure. One option is for larger organizations to serve as a fiscal agent for smaller organizations.
• Pass-through organizations could be considered. Pass-through organizations are more beneficial than fiscal sponsors because of the burden of reporting.
• A mentoring process for grant writing could be helpful, with large organizations mentoring smaller organizations. One drawback of fiscal agents is that they assume liability.
• Support infrastructure is needed. Many find the process intimidating, and it may be particularly difficult for those with less privilege and support. Organizations need to know how to create budgets and conduct audits to account for the money. We need to find a way to offer grassroots organizations that kind of support.
• Persons who are bicultural and/or bilingual are additional marginalized groups to consider.

Ms. Petyon asked about the top 3-5 infrastructure challenges. She also asked about the extent to which it is helpful to incorporate social determinants of health or a social vulnerability index when making funding decisions, or if it is a difficult requirement for BIPOC, rural communities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) communities.

• A working group member said that the issuing body has a wealth of concrete data and the community has anecdotal support. The data should tell the funder where to target funds and the community should back it up with anecdotes.
• A working group member said that the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is using this model for healthcare transformation pilots. If the data suggest something, a dialogue with the community could take place before issuing a NOFO to corroborate the data. Ms. Peyton asked if HFS has data for every portion of the state. She noted that high need areas are sometimes surrounded by wealthy neighborhoods. A working group member said that data are available for all areas.
• Ms. Peyton stated that the group will continue discussing this at the next meeting. If a member wants to facilitate the discussion, they can let her know. Mr. Johnson asked the group to consider recommendations to discuss at the next meeting.

Public Participation

Mary Pounder, a member of the public, said that she appreciated the conversation. She suggested that the working group host a listening session to meet with the community directly and ask about the barriers to accessing funding. She also asked if the remediation fund process has to follow the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA). Ms. Peyton stated that some rules apply, but there are some portions of the settlement funds that don't apply to GATA.

Adjourn

Mr. Johnson asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Mulroe made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Stratton 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 August 8, from 10:30am-12:00pm.