SR0148 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0148 LRB099 08938 GRL 30892 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Approximately 1.5 million Illinois adults and more than 300,000 Illinois children have a mental illness, and approximately 850,000 adults and 62,000 youth in Illinois have a substance use disorder; and

WHEREAS, In 2011, suicide due to the presence of a mental health condition was the third leading cause of death for children between the ages of 10 and 14, and the second leading cause of death for youth and adults between the ages of 15 and 34; and

WHEREAS, Despite the fact that community-based/outpatient mental health treatment, combined with the appropriate medications, is highly effective in treating mental illnesses and enabling recovery, more than two-thirds of Illinois children and 59% of adults living with a mental illness do not receive a diagnosis or treatment; this lack of access to treatment results in severe disability for those with untreated serious mental illnesses, the costs of which are borne by taxpayers for the remainder of the person's life; and

WHEREAS, The evidence is clear - when treatment is available early on following the signs of a mental illness, youth are less likely to drop out of school, turn to substance use, or engage in self-injurious or criminal behaviors; they are also able to more effectively manage their mental illness over their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, Similar to other states, mental health and substance use treatment services and supports are primarily publicly-funded; and

WHEREAS, In recent decades, limited access to mental health care and substance use treatment has resulted in substantial increases in homelessness, institutionalization, and incarceration due to untreated serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders; and

WHEREAS, The estimated average cost of an emergency room visit in Illinois is $2,027, while the estimated average cost of a psychiatric hospitalization is $4,301; from 2009 to 2012, during the years of the deepest cuts to community mental health, increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations of individuals with untreated mental illnesses cost Illinois $123.3 million; without sustained treatment, this cycle continues unabated and often results in homelessness, incarceration, or institutionalization; and

WHEREAS, Despite the best efforts of community-based service providers, and due to a lack of State investment in community mental health services and adequate reimbursement rates, too many Illinois citizens lack access to evidence-based treatments and robust support services which are proven to produce better health outcomes and reduce costs; and

WHEREAS, On March 31, 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, which included provisions establishing a demonstration program that creates state Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics; Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are intended to serve individuals with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders and will provide intensive, person-centered, multidisciplinary, evidence-based screening, assessment, diagnostics, treatment, prevention, and wellness services, with a strong emphasis on care coordination; and

WHEREAS, This Act provides for the single largest federal investment in community-based mental and substance use treatment in decades; and

WHEREAS, The Act provides that $25 million will be made available as planning grants to states to develop applications to participate in the 2-year pilot; only the states receiving planning grants will be eligible to participate in the pilot; and

WHEREAS, During the duration of the pilot, states with Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics will receive an enhanced Federal Matching Assistance Percentage for the services provided by the clinics; and

WHEREAS, On February 2, 2015, the Secretary for the United States Department of Health and Human Services released draft criteria for a clinic to be certified by a state, with guidance for establishing a prospective payment system for the clinics expected by September 2015; and

WHEREAS, By January 1, 2016, the Secretary for the United States Department of Health and Human Services will award the planning grants; by September l, 2017, the Secretary will select the 8 states that will participate in the demonstration; and

WHEREAS, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics will have uniform certification criteria in the areas of staffing, availability and accessibility of services, care coordination, scope of services, quality, and other reporting and organizational authority, thus ensuring the quality of services provided by the clinics; and

WHEREAS, States interested in pursuing Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics should demonstrate the potential to expand available services in a demonstration area and increase the quality of services without increasing net federal spending; and

WHEREAS, By being a catalyst for driving change in Illinois' mental health and substance use treatment systems, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics will be an important component in Illinois' overall Medicaid payment and delivery system reform efforts; and

WHEREAS, Given the limited scope of the demonstration program, it is in the best interests of the State of Illinois to engage in efforts aimed at securing a planning grant; unless Illinois pursues and receives a planning grant, it is prohibited from participating in the demonstration program; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we encourage Governor Rauner's Administration, including the Department of Human Services Divisions of Mental Health and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the Governor's Office to prioritize a plan aimed at securing and submitting an application for a planning grant for the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the aforementioned groups to collaborate in this effort with key stakeholders, including organizations representing individuals with serious mental illnesses, community-based mental health providers, substance use treatment facilities, federally-qualified health centers, hospitals, supportive housing providers, and rural health clinics; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, the Secretary of Human Services, and the Director of Healthcare and Family Services.