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92_HJ0026
LRB9208610DJgc
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, A significant number of Illinois children and
3 youth suffer from depression and other mental health problems
4 that affect their ability to learn and their propensity for
5 violence, alcohol and substance abuse, and other delinquent
6 behaviors; and
7 WHEREAS, One in 10 children and adolescents in Illinois
8 suffer from a mental illness severe enough to cause some
9 level of impairment; yet, in any given year only about one in
10 5 of these children receive mental health services; and
11 WHEREAS, Researchers and practitioners agree that the
12 majority of children and youth with mental health needs,
13 other than those with serious, chronic mental disorders, do
14 not receive preventive interventions; yet, these
15 interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing the
16 impact of risk factors for mental disorders and improving
17 social and emotional development; and
18 WHEREAS, Childhood is an important time to prevent mental
19 disorders to promote healthy development, because many adult
20 disorders have related antecedent problems in childhood; and
21 WHEREAS, Mental health services for children and youth
22 need to be delivered in natural settings, like schools or
23 school-linked programs, if they are to successfully reach
24 children and youth, who face many barriers to receiving those
25 services in the community; and
26 WHEREAS, Screening, identification, and services systems
27 in schools are inadequate to address the number of children
28 and youth who need mental health support; and
29 WHEREAS, A collaborative, multidisciplinary school-based
30 and school-linked approach is needed to ensure that Illinois
31 children and youth receive a continuum of mental health
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1 prevention, intervention, and treatment services; therefore,
2 be it
3 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
5 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Illinois Violence
6 Prevention Authority shall convene and administer a
7 multidisciplinary Illinois School/Community Mental Health
8 Task Force; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That under the auspices of the Authority, the
10 Task Force shall be responsible for doing the following:
11 (1) Assessing the status of school-based and
12 school-linked mental health prevention and intervention
13 services and programs for children and youth in Illinois.
14 (2) Developing and recommending a short-term and
15 long-term plan that takes a coordinated, collaborative,
16 multi-system approach for ensuring that adequate,
17 quality, mental-health-related services and programs are
18 available and accessible to Illinois children and youth.
19 The plan shall include recommendations for public and
20 private funding sources to implement the plan.
21 (3) Submitting the plan and related recommendations
22 to the Governor's Office and the General Assembly by
23 September 30, 2002.
24 (4) Monitoring the ongoing implementation of the
25 plan; and be it further
26 RESOLVED, That the Task Force Membership shall be
27 broad-based, multidisciplinary, and cross-cultural, and shall
28 include a broad representation of mental health stakeholders:
29 State agencies, representatives of the General Assembly,
30 youth and family members, professional organizations and
31 associations, advocacy groups, faith-based practitioners,
32 clinicians, educators, health care providers, and members of
33 the research/scientific community; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That at a minimum, the following public and
2 private entities shall be represented on the Task Force:
3 Governor's Office, House and Senate caucuses of Illinois
4 General Assembly, Illinois Attorney General's Office,
5 Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Board of
6 Education, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois
7 Department of Children and Family Services, Illinois School
8 Nurses Association, Illinois School Psychologists
9 Association, Illinois School Counselors Association, Illinois
10 Principals Association, Illinois School Social Workers
11 Association, Illinois Association of School Administrators,
12 Large Unit District Association, Illinois Association of
13 Regional Superintendents of Schools, Chicago Public Schools,
14 Illinois Education Association, Illinois Federation of
15 Teachers, Community Behavioral Health Care Association,
16 Mental Health Association in Illinois, Voices for Illinois
17 Children, Illinois Federation for Families, Cook County
18 Bureau of Health Services, Illinois Center for Violence
19 Prevention, Illinois Parent Teachers Association (PTA),
20 Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers, and Juvenile
21 Justice Commission; and be it further
22 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this Resolution shall
23 be delivered to the Attorney General and the Director of
24 Public Health, who jointly chair the Illinois Violence
25 Prevention Authority.