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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois finds itself in the midst of
3a heroin crisis; the epicenter of which is on the West Side of
4the City of Chicago; and
 
5    WHEREAS, According to a recent study, hospitalizations for
6opioids on the West Side of Chicago account for nearly one in
7four hospitalizations for the entire State; overdose mortality
8rates disproportionately impact Chicago's African American
9population with nine in 100,000 African Americans dying as a
10result of heroin overdoses, as compared to 5.9 for whites; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Most of the attention directed at the heroin
12crisis is focused on policing rather than treatment, which is
13an ineffective and expensive way to treat a health crisis such
14as this; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In September of 2015, Illinois adopted the Heroin
16Crisis Act; this bipartisan and "groundbreaking" legislation
17is being duplicated in states across the country; shortly
18before the adoption of the Act, a report was published
19indicating that Illinois has become the third-worst state in
20providing treatment for heroin addicts; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The Heroin Crisis Act provides for the following:

 

 

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1(1) Allows pharmacies to dispense heroin/opiate overdose
2reversal drugs, such as naloxone, to individuals; (2) Requires
3all police and fire agencies, and emergency medical
4technicians, to carry the reversal drugs and be trained to
5administer, store, and transport it; (3) Permits a school nurse
6to administer naloxone and requires reporting on it; (4)
7Upgrades the prescription monitoring program to prevent
8overprescribing of painkillers, a frequent precursor to heroin
9addiction; (5) Amends drug court programs to keep users in
10treatment and out of jail; (6) Establishes drug education
11programs in schools; (7) Provides insurance coverages for
12opioid/heroin antidotes; (8) Requires Medicaid to pay for
13medication-based treatments; (9) Requires coroners, medical
14examiners, and health care professionals to report to the
15Department of Public Health all cases of drug overdoses; (10)
16Requires the Department of Human Services to establish a
17medication take-back program to collect and dispose of unused
18medications; (11) Requires State agencies to report to the
19General Assembly on the impact of the comprehensive efforts
20addressing opioid/heroin misuse and overdoses; and (12)
21Mandates for public awareness campaigns on the dangers of
22unused prescription medications; and
 
23    WHEREAS, The Heroin Crisis Act requires funding to be
24effective and the ongoing budget fight in Illinois has
25threatened that funding; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3urge Governor Bruce Rauner to declare a state of emergency in
4Illinois due to the ongoing heroin crisis; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That we urge the Director of the Department of
6Public Health, Nirav Shah, to create a comprehensive plan to
7combat the heroin crisis that now grips Illinois; and be it
8further
 
9    RESOLVED, That we urge the State of Illinois to fully fund
10the Heroin Crisis Act; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
12delivered to Governor Bruce Rauner, Speaker of the House
13Michael Madigan, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, Senate
14President John Cullerton, Senate Republican Leader Christine
15Radogno, and the Director of the Department of Public Health
16Nirav Shah.