Press release from the office of Governor Bruce Rauner

CHICAGO IL– Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed Executive Order 17-05, creating the governor’s Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force.

The task force will be co-chaired by Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti and Dr. Nirav D. Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. The task force will look at strategies to prevent expansion of the opioid crisis, treat and promote the recovery of individuals with opioid-use disorder, and reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths.

“The opioid crisis in Illinois affects people from all walks of life ─ small towns and big cities, the wealthy and the poor, young and old. Without treatment, people suffering from opioid-use disorder risk dropping out of school, losing their job, becoming homeless, losing custody of their children, or getting arrested,” Gov. Rauner said.  “This is not a problem that government, health care, police, schools, communities or others can solve on their own. We must all work together. Today, I am creating and charging the Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force to develop a comprehensive strategy to stem the tide of the opioid crisis in Illinois.”

Since 2013, the number of heroin overdose deaths in Illinois has doubled, and the number of opioid overdose deaths has quadrupled. More than 1,900 people in Illinois are expected to die of opioid overdoses this year ─ more than one-and-a-half times the number of homicides and almost twice the number of fatal motor vehicle crashes. Between 2013 and 2016 in Illinois, total drug overdose deaths increased by almost 50 percent, overdose deaths involving opioids increased 76 percent, and overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl) increased 258 percent.

“The opioid epidemic knows no neighborhood, no color, and no class.  It is not confined to alleys in urban settings, nor isolated in rural communities,” Lt. Gov. Sanguinetti said. “Illinois needs a comprehensive opioid strategy that destigmatizes addiction and appropriately aligns resources across state agencies in partnership with community priorities.”

“The opioid crisis in Illinois is not something that we can arrest or even treat our way out of,” IDPH Director Shah said. “Active collaboration and engagement with state agencies, elected officials, the medical community, providers, insurers, educators, law enforcement, patient advocacy organizations, and the public will be critical to our success.”

The Task Force will look at how to increase the number of providers that use the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program; reduce high-risk opioid prescribing; make information and resources more accessible to the public; strengthen data collection, analysis, and sharing; reduce the number of overdose deaths of individuals recently released from an institutional facility; and increase naloxone availability and training.

“It is time we understand and treat substance-use disorder as a chronic disease and eliminate the stigma that prevents individuals struggling with opioid use from seeking care,” Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary James Dimas said. “This epidemic impacts every community, every neighborhood, and, as a result, every home. With evidence from years of scientific research to support us, Illinois is ready to shatter the image of substance use disorder as a ‘moral failing’ and treat it as any other chronic illness.”

“As a family doctor at Lawndale Christian Health Center on the west side of Chicago, I am privileged and blessed to be on a team that tries to respond to the needs of our community. One of the greatest needs we see right now is preventing deaths from opioid overdose,” Dr. Thomas D. Huggett said.  “Medication assisted treatment, behavioral health counseling, and social support are vitally needed as we walk beside our patients who want to leave opioid-use disorder and heroin behind. We have already seen many success stories of those who are now feeling much better, working a job, and are reunited with their families, but there is much work left to do.”

Members of the Task Force will include officials from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, Illinois State Police, and from Illinois Departments of: Financial and Professional Regulation, Human Services, Public Health, Juvenile Justice, Insurance, Corrections, and Healthcare and Family Services.

From George O’ Connor, Communications Director, Congressman Mike Bost  

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Bost issued the following statement after the House passed a $7.85 billion disaster relief funding package for Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts:

“The sheer size and scope of devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey is difficult to comprehend. First responders, volunteer organizations, and federal, state, and local agencies have been working tirelessly to help those in need through search and rescue efforts, staffing emergency shelters, providing meals, and offering comfort. I am pleased that both parties in Congress acted quickly to provide Americans along the Gulf Coast the federal resources they need to begin a long recovery and help ensure that the federal response to Hurricane Irma is adequately prepared.”

Note: The bill contains the full amount requested by the Administration – totaling $7.85 billion in emergency funding, including $7.4 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). This will ensure FEMA can meet all current needs for response and recovery efforts, while also being prepared for any additional disasters that may arise. It also includes $450 million to support the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program to assist small businesses and homeowners begin to rebuild.om George O’ Connor, Communications Director, Congressman Mike Bost

Southern Illinois University News Service

CARBONDALE, IL – Official fall 2017 enrollment at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is 14,554, a decline of 8.96 percent over 2016.

New chancellor Carlo Montemagno, who started August 15, said the anticipated decline comes as the university is undertaking a comprehensive review of programs and processes with the goal of increasing future enrollment.

Montemagno said he sees positive signs in a continuing increase in ACT scores for new freshmen and ongoing growth in freshman retention rates.

“These increases signal that we can continue to build on our efforts to attract outstanding students to SIU,” he said. “I am confident that we can rebuild enrollment by clearly identifying ourselves as a comprehensive doctoral research university – the only one of our kind in our region. As the flagship of the SIU system, we will reassert our position as a leader in research, an innovator in education and an enabler of prosperity.”

In addition to increasing enrollment, the university will continue to build the quality of the student body while maintaining its longstanding commitment to diversity, Montemagno said.
“Growing enrollment must be a collaborative effort,” he added. “It will take several years to manifest our success.”

Montemagno said there are multiple reasons for recent enrollment declines, including the state budget impasse, but he added that “reasons cannot become excuses.”

“Instead, they should motivate us to work together to make the changes necessary to go forward,” he said. “In my few weeks here, I have been impressed by the positive energy I find at SIU. Our faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community are committed to SIU’s success.  We need to harness that energy and commitment around a shared vision for our future.”

A first step is the restructuring of recruitment and retention initiatives to build an enrollment management unit that will work across campus and report directly to the chancellor, Montemagno said. A review of academic programs and enhanced outreach and marketing efforts are also underway.

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) issued the following statement following the Trump administration’s announcement to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:

Policies are only as durable as the process through which they are created. The confusion and uncertainty regarding the legal status of individuals affected by DACA is due in large part to the Obama administration’s insistence on sidestepping congressional authority. The House has already taken steps to make America safer, secure our borders and end sanctuary cities, but serious work remains. It is my sincere hope that the House and Senate, in coordination with the president, will find a just and reasonable solution for those affected by the DACA program, while also underscoring the importance of the rule of law.