(110 ILCS 185/65-20)

Sec. 65-20. Duties. The Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center of Illinois shall perform the following duties:

(1) Organize a consortium of universities in partnerships with providers, school districts, law enforcement, consumers and their families, State agencies, and other stakeholders to implement workforce development concepts and strategies in every region of this State.

(2) Be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic plan for the recruitment, education, and retention of a qualified, diverse, and evolving behavioral health workforce in this State. Its planning and activities shall include:

(A) convening and organizing vested stakeholders spanning government agencies, clinics, behavioral health facilities, prevention programs, hospitals, schools, jails, prisons and juvenile justice, police and emergency medical services, consumers and their families, and other stakeholders;

(B) collecting and analyzing data on the behavioral health workforce in Illinois, with detailed information on specialties, credentials, additional qualifications (such as training or experience in particular models of care), location of practice, and demographic characteristics, including age, gender, race and ethnicity, and languages spoken;

(C) building partnerships with school districts, public institutions of higher education, and workforce investment agencies to create pipelines to behavioral health careers from high schools and colleges, pathways to behavioral health specialization among health professional students, and expanded behavioral health residency and internship opportunities for graduates;

(D) evaluating and disseminating information about evidence-based practices emerging from research regarding promising modalities of treatment, care coordination models, and medications;

(E) developing systems for tracking the utilization of evidence-based practices that most effectively meet behavioral health needs; and

(F) providing technical assistance to support professional training and continuing education programs that provide effective training in evidence-based behavioral health practices.

(3) Coordinate data collection and analysis, including systematic tracking of the behavioral health workforce and datasets that support workforce planning for an accessible, high-quality behavioral health system. In the medium to long-term, the Center shall develop Illinois behavioral workforce data capacity by:

(A) filling gaps in workforce data by collecting information on specialty, training, and qualifications for specific models of care, demographic characteristics, including gender, race, ethnicity, and languages spoken, and participation in public and private insurance networks;

(B) identifying the highest priority geographies, populations, and occupations for recruitment and training;

(C) monitoring the incidence of behavioral health conditions to improve estimates of unmet need; and

(D) compiling up-to-date, evidence-based practices, monitoring utilization, and aligning training resources to improve the uptake of the most effective practices.

(4) Work to grow and advance peer and parent-peer workforce development by:

(A) assessing the credentialing and reimbursement processes and recommending reforms;

(B) evaluating available peer-parent training models, choosing a model that meets Illinois' needs, and working with partners to implement it universally in child-serving programs throughout this State; and

(C) including peer recovery specialists and parent-peer support professionals in interdisciplinary training programs.

(5) Focus on the training of behavioral health professionals in telehealth techniques, including taking advantage of a telehealth network that exists, and other innovative means of care delivery in order to increase access to behavioral health services for all persons within this State.

(6) No later than December 1 of every odd-numbered year, prepare a report of its activities under this Act. The report shall be filed electronically with the General Assembly, as provided under Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization Act, and shall be provided electronically to any member of the General Assembly upon request.

(Source: P.A. 102-4, eff. 4-27-21.)