Full Text of HR1307 95th General Assembly
HR1307 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Employees of Heartland Human Services in | 3 |
| Effingham have been on strike since July, 2007; and
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| WHEREAS, These employees normally deliver crucial mental | 5 |
| health and substance abuse services that are necessary for the | 6 |
| health, welfare, safety, and quality of life of Heartland | 7 |
| clients and all residents of Effingham County; and
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| WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, through the Department of | 9 |
| Human Services and other State agencies, contracts with | 10 |
| Heartland to provide those services; and
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| WHEREAS, Because of the strike, only a small fraction of | 12 |
| normal services have been delivered over the past 10 months; | 13 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Data for the first 7 months of the fiscal year | 15 |
| show that Heartland's billings were reduced by 96%, and the | 16 |
| number of clients served was reduced by 71%; and
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| WHEREAS, Many former Heartland clients have reported that | 18 |
| they have gone without services or have received insufficient | 19 |
| services; and
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| WHEREAS, This lack of services has placed an unsustainable | 2 |
| burden on Heartland clients and their families, to the point | 3 |
| that one client committed suicide; and
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| WHEREAS, Over 25 behavioral health professionals formerly | 5 |
| employed at Heartland signed a statement attesting that | 6 |
| Heartland "demonstrated a disturbing lack of concern for the | 7 |
| well-being of clients" and that the employees had themselves | 8 |
| "felt the lack of respect that management had for employees who | 9 |
| sought to serve those clients"; and
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| WHEREAS, Because of the lack of service delivery due to the | 11 |
| strike, the Department of Human Services Division of Alcohol | 12 |
| and Substance Abuse has discontinued grant payments to | 13 |
| Heartland; and
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| WHEREAS, The money the Division of Alcohol and Substance | 15 |
| Abuse has not paid to Heartland may be available to fund | 16 |
| increased service delivery by other providers in the area who | 17 |
| are attempting to serve the former Heartland clients; and
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| WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services Division of | 19 |
| Mental Health elected to continue to pay Heartland for the | 20 |
| first five months of the fiscal year, despite the lack of | 21 |
| service delivery; and
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| WHEREAS, The Division of Mental Health paid Heartland | 2 |
| approximately $200,000 monthly even though virtually no | 3 |
| services were being delivered; and
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| WHEREAS, The Division of Mental Health has not been able to | 5 |
| guarantee other mental health providers who are treating | 6 |
| Heartland clients that they will be reimbursed for their | 7 |
| expanded service delivery this year; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 9 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 10 |
| State agencies should steward State funding to ensure the | 11 |
| maximum amount of services are delivered to the most clients | 12 |
| possible; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Auditor General is directed to conduct a | 14 |
| performance audit of the State moneys provided by or through | 15 |
| State agencies to Heartland Human Services under contracts or | 16 |
| grant agreements in Fiscal Year 2007 and year-to-date 2008; and | 17 |
| be it further | 18 |
| RESOLVED, That this audit include, but not be limited to, | 19 |
| the following determinations: | 20 |
| (1) the purposes for which State moneys were provided | 21 |
| to Heartland Human Services, for each State agency and for | 22 |
| each amount transferred; |
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| (2) the nature and extent of monitoring by State | 2 |
| agencies of how Heartland Human Services used the | 3 |
| State-provided moneys; | 4 |
| (3) the actual use of State moneys by Heartland Human | 5 |
| Services; | 6 |
| (4) whether, through a review of available | 7 |
| documentation, Heartland Human Services has met or is | 8 |
| meeting the purposes for which the State moneys were | 9 |
| provided, with specific information concerning Heartland | 10 |
| Human Services' staffing levels and its compensation of | 11 |
| management employees; and | 12 |
| (5) whether Heartland Human Services is in compliance | 13 |
| with the applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and | 14 |
| grant agreements pertaining to Heartland Human Services' | 15 |
| receipt of State moneys; and be it further | 16 |
| RESOLVED, That Heartland Human Services and any State or | 17 |
| local agency that may have information relevant to this audit | 18 |
| cooperate fully and promptly with the Auditor General's office | 19 |
| in its audit; and be it further | 20 |
| RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as | 21 |
| soon as possible and report his findings and recommendations | 22 |
| upon completion in accordance with the provisions of Section | 23 |
| 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 |
| presented to the Auditor General.
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