Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board (IORAB)
Access & Equity Working Group Meeting
April 8, 2025
Virtual Meeting Held Via Zoom
MEETING MINUTES
Access & Equity Working Group Members
Joel K. Johnson, TASC, Inc. (Chair)
Jonnell Benson-Cobbs, DPN, Serenity Treatment and Counseling Center
Diana Bottari, MD, Advocate Aurora Health
Tim Devitt, PsyD, Private Practice
David Gomel, PhD, Rosecrance
James L. Grafton, Administrator, Rock Island County
Christopher Hoff, Lake County Health Department
Debbie Holsapple, Jefferson County Comprehensive Services
Shane Pettigrew, Illinois State Police
Gail Richardson, West Side Opioid Task Force
Charles Stratton, Department of Human Resources, Sangamon County
Mike Tyson, Take Action Today
Michael Wahl, MD, Illinois Poison Center, Illinois Health and Hospital Association
John Werning, Chicago Recovery Alliance
Dr. Miao Jenny Hua, Chicago Department of Public Health
Welcome and Roll Call
Joel Johnson welcomed the group. Sue Pickett, PhD of Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), facilitator, took roll call. Jonnell Benson-Cobbs, Diana Bottari, Christopher Hoff, Debbie Holsapple, Shane Pettigrew, Charles Stratton, Mike Tyson, Michael Wahl, and Miao Jenny Hua were absent. All the other members were present. Quorum was not established.
Review and Approval of January 14, 2025 Meeting Minutes
Since quorum was not established, the January 14, 2025 meeting minutes could not be approved.
Working Group Appointments
Barbara Hobrock, Director of External Engagement at Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), reminded Working Group members to complete and submit their appointment forms as soon as possible. She will re-send the nomination form to Working Group members.
Discussion:
- Mr. Johnson asked what Working Group members should do if they do not want to renew their appointments. Ms. Hobrock stated that they should submit a letter of resignation.
- A Working Group member for a description of the process to recommend a new Working Group member. Ms. Hobrock said that a nomination form with information about the proposed member should be submitted to her (please cc the SOSA and Dr. Pickett). The nomination form will be reviewed and must be approved by the IDHS Secretary.
Priority Recommendations for the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board (IORAB)
- Ms. Verella Olguin, Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator (SOSA) at IDHS Division of Substance Use Prevention & Recovery (IDHS/SUPR) stated that there were no recommendations submitted to this Working Group for review.
- Mr. Johnson provided an update about the overdose prevention site (OPS) recommendation. He stated that this Working Group submitted a recommendation to use remediation funds to support an OPS over a year ago. At this time, leadership told the Working Group that an OPS could not be funded as it was not legal. Mr. Johnson asked leadership why the current recommendation for an OPS had moved forward despite no change in the legality. Leadership informed him legislation to legalize OPS was pending, making it possible to review an OPS recommendation.
- Mr. Johnson summarized the discussion of the OPS recommendation at the IORAB. The original OPS recommendation asked for $500,000 per year for 3 years for a total of $1.5 Million (M). During the IORAB meeting, there was discussion that this funding amount was insufficient, and the IORAB approved increasing the amount to $6M per year for 3 years for a total of $18M. The Steering Committee did not approve this recommendation. The Steering Committee returned the recommendation to the Working Groups and asked for a recommendation for a funding amount that included a research-based justification. To respond to this request, Mr. Johnson chaired an ad hoc OPS Review Team, which included members of the Working Groups. The OPS Review Team met over the past month and reviewed OPS funding data, including OnPoint NYC data.
- The OPS Review Team used this research to determine that $3M per year for a total of $9M should be recommended for the start-up and operation of an OPS. A recommendation that includes this amount and justification will be reviewed by the IORAB at the April 24th meeting. If the IORAB approves the recommendation, it will move forward to the Steering Committee to review at their May 8th meeting.
Discussion
- A Working Group member asked if the funding amount ($9M) was intended to support 1-3 OPS or just one OPS. Mr. Johnson responded that the pending legislation states that the OPS must be in a geographic area that has a population of at least 2.5M. The only location in Illinois that would meet this requirement is Chicago. The OPS Review Team decided not to specify the number of organizations to receive funding in the recommendation. If approved, the recommendation will be translated into a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and the number of sites that can receive funding will be determined during the application process.
- A Working Group member asked about the process for approval of the OPS recommendation. Mr. Johnson responded that the recommended funding amount must be approved by the IORAB and the Steering Committee and be certified by the Attorney General.
Public Participation
No members of the public participated in the meeting.
Adjourn
Mr. Johnson thanked the participants and adjourned the meeting. The next meeting of the IORAB Access & Equity Working Group will be on July 1, 2025, from 10:30 - 11:30 AM.
