Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board
Medical & Research Working Group Meeting
September 17, 2024
Virtual Meeting Held Via Zoom
Meeting Minutes
Medical and Research Working Group Members
Adrienne Adams, MD, NorthShore (Chair)
Katherine Austman, MD, Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services
Geoff Bathje, PhD, Sana Healing Collective, Chicago Recovery Alliance
Lia Daniels, Illinois Hospital Association (IHA)
Michael Dennis, PhD, Lighthouse Research Institute, Chestnut Health Systems
Nicole Gastala, MD, Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Substance Use Prevention & Recovery (SUPR)
Michael Isaacson, Kane County Health Department
Katharine (Kitty) Juul, Southern Illinois University (SIU)
Dan Lustig, PsyD, MA, Haymarket Center
Jessica Perillo, Health Management Associates
Doug Smith, PhD, University of Illinois
Katie Unthank, Egyptian Health Department
Brent Van Ham, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Lindsay Wilson, CDC Foundation
Leslie Wise, PhD, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
Welcome and Roll Call
Adrienne Adams, MD, chair, opened the meeting and welcomed the group. Sue Pickett, PhD, facilitator, Advocates for Human Potential (AHP), Inc., conducted roll call. All members were present except for Doug Smith and Katie Unthank. Quorum was established.
Review and Approval of July 16, 2024 Meeting Minutes
Dr. Adams called for a motion to approve the July 16 meeting minutes. Leslie Wise made a motion. Lindsay Wilson seconded the motion. All members present voted in favor of approving the minutes. The motion passed.
2025 Meeting Schedule
- Mr. Jim Wilkerson, interim Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator (SOSA) at IDHS SUPR, reviewed the proposed 2025 meeting dates for the Medical & Research working group and the IORAB. Meetings will move from bi-monthly to quarterly. The 2025 meetings will be held in January, April, June, and October 2-3 weeks prior to the IORAB meetings to allow the group time to develop recommendations. Working group members agreed to this new schedule (January 14, April 1, June 24 and September 30).
- Mr. Wilkerson reviewed training requirements for working group members. More information about training requirements will be sent to members via email. All IORAB and IORAB working group members are required to complete trainings.
- Mr. Wilkerson said that SUPR is providing spaces in Springfield and Chicago to allow people to attend IORAB and working group meetings in person. These meetings will continue to be held virtually; in-person attendance is not required. More information about meeting locations will be included on meeting agendas and on the SUPR website.
Priority Recommendations for the IORAB
Youth & Family Recommendation
Dr. Pickett reviewed the Youth & Family recommendation. Developed by this working group, the recommendation seeks to fund a full system of services, including prevention, treatment, and recovery supports, that meet the needs of adolescents and their families. This recommendation is for $3 million over 3 years or $1 million per year. The recommendation will be presented to the IORAB at the October meeting.
- Dr. Pickett described recommended edits from other working groups including changing "youth" to "youth and families," adding language about harm reduction, and adding an emphasis that people from the harm reduction community should provide the training in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). She noted that it was up to this working group to accept or reject these edits.
- A member stated that SUPR recently reported a large amount of unspent money for adolescent services and asked about adding money to an area with unspent funds. Members discussed that this money may not have been spent due to a lack of clinical providers for adolescents. As settlement funding must support services not funded via SUPR or Medicaid, including non-clinical services, it may be more expendable.
- Dr. Adams recommended that the age range for people who would benefit from this recommendation be as wide as possible and include families. Dr. Pickett added language to reflect the inclusion of young adults and families to the recommendation.
- Members discussed whether funding provided via this recommendation should prioritize organizations that serve youth or organizations that emphasize harm reduction. Mr. Wilkerson and Dr. Pickett stated that the recommendation does not specify the types of organizations that can provide the services; this is a consideration for the NOFO.
- Mr. Wilkerson stated that the description of the services included in the NOFO may differ slightly from those in the approved recommendation as SUPR will review currently funded services and ensure that requested services avoid duplication and fill gaps.
Dr. Adams asked for a motion to accept the edits. Michael Dennis made a motion. Kitty Juul seconded the motion. All members voted to approve the motion. The motion carried.
Local Health Department Infrastructure Recommendation
Mr. Wilkerson explained that this recommendation is a request for funding for local health departments to employ epidemiologists or similar staff to do data collection and analysis to understand the impact of opioid services to allow rapid response and quality improvement. He noted that IDPH will be the pass-through agent that distributes money to local health departments. The request is for $6 million per year for 3 years for a total of $18 million. SUPR plans to discuss the amount of this request with IDPH.
- A member described existing data dashboards and asked about the need for additional funding for data work versus treatment and harm reduction. Jim Wilkerson clarified that settlement funds will not supplant existing monies but offer opportunities for expansion. If approved, the recommendation would provide funding to each county based on need.
- A member noted that data resources including the Opioid Data Dashboard require consistent data submission and there is a lack of funding for staff to do this work. Another member added that the substance use landscape varies across the state and gaining an understanding of local patterns would be beneficial for informing strategy.
- Dr. Adams discussed that this resource may make data more centralized and therefore inform better patient care.
Dr. Adams asked for a motion to support the recommendation. Mike Dennis made a motion. Nicole Gastala seconded. All members voted in favor of supporting the recommendation. The motion passed.
Tribal Recommendation
Mr. Wilkerson discussed that this recommendation was developed by SUPR to fund treatment and recovery services for tribal communities. This recommendation is for $3 million over 3 years or $1 million per year. He noted that tribes and provider organizations collaborating with tribes can apply.
- A member asked if the funding was solely for the Potawatomi tribe or also for other indigenous communities; Jim Wilkerson clarified that the funding is available for all tribal communities. Mr. Wilkerson confirmed that Spanish-speaking indigenous communities such as Mexican Native Americans in Illinois were eligible to apply for this funding. The member recommended changing the language in the recommendation to "tribal and other indigenous communities."
- A member noted that as most members of tribal communities in Illinois live in urban areas rather than on reservations, they might reference this urban population in the recommendation.
- A member recommended engaging the National Indian Health Board and Seven Directions, in work to support tribal communities in the state. A member recommended a mobile app that connects adolescents and young adults that are Native American. He also recommended engaging the regional director for the US Department of Health and Human Services Region 5, Michael Carbonargi. A member provided a link to the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health as a resource.
- A member asked if the amount of funding could be expanded. Mr. Wilkerson said it was possible, but it was necessary to consider the overall funding amount so that programs that are initiated could be expanded rather than cut.
- A member recommended that prevention, treatment, and harm reduction be included. Dr. Pickett added harm reduction to the second sentence of the recommendation.
The group did not have time to review the Contingency Management recommendation.
Public Participation
The member of the public present had no comment.
Adjourn
- Dr. Adams called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Michael Dennis made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Leslie Wise seconded the motion to adjourn. All members voted to approve the motion. Dr. Adams adjourned the meeting.
- The next meeting of the IORAB Medical & Research Working Group will be held on November 19, 2024 from 12:00 -1:00pm.
