January 27, 2020 – Today marks a crucial step in the fight to save lives and help Illinoisans struggling with opioids to achieve recovery, as Governor JB Pritzker has signed an Executive Order addressing the Illinois opioid crisis. Heartland Alliance applauds the Order along with an announcement of $4.1 million dedicated to expand prevention and recovery services.
Heartland Alliance’s three health centers across Chicago actively support individuals living with substance use disorders through medication assisted treatment (MAT), overdose prevention, and harm reduction practices. Through our direct work, we know that those most impacted by the opioid crisis in our city are from black and brown communities. While the national narrative focuses on rural, white populations, we believe addressing racial disparities head on is crucial if we hope to end this crisis and save lives.
As a human rights organization dedicated to equity and opportunity for all, Heartland Alliance believes that the measures put forth in this Order and the focus on racial and social inequities will help our state eventually end this crisis.
Illinois has taken steps to mitigate the opioid overdose epidemic, but it is clear that our efforts have not been up to the task. Overdose deaths reached 2,167 in 2018, proving again that we are in the midst of the worst public health crisis in a generation – worse than gun violence and worse than the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. And while we have seen fatal overdoses decrease slightly for rural and white Illinoisans, the rate of fatal overdoses for black and urban Illinoisans continues to climb. In fact, black Illinoisans are twice as likely to die of an overdose than their white counterparts.
This new rule puts Illinois on the right path, as it prioritizes including community stakeholders in making decisions related to the state’s opioid crisis response, lifts up initiatives that can address the racial inequities in fatal overdose, and puts harm reduction associated with opioid use at the center of these efforts.
Heartland Alliance has been on the frontlines of addressing the opioid crisis for years, and we know that the numbers alone do not tell the full story. Individuals who are dependent on opioids experience trauma at every turn. They are often rejected by their support systems, face countless barriers to accessing healthcare, and often have fewer opportunities to opportunity and employment due to permanent punishments caused by archaic criminal justice practices. Frequent setbacks and personal loss only add to the challenge of achieving recovery and building a rewarding and stable life.
The investments in recovery and prevention services announced along with the Executive Order build upon evidence-based models in Chicago and throughout the state. Distribution of naloxone in areas hard hit by opioid use and overdose will save countless lives. The state’s treatment systems will improvement significantly by prioritizing MAT services in all settings. Heartland Alliance has seen the success of these initiatives are we are thrilled that the state is dedicating some of its scarce resources to these proven models.
Our health and behavioral health safety net systems have a critical responsibility to unravel this knot. Governor Pritzker’s executive order lays the appropriate groundwork, and allows all of us to refocus our efforts on addressing racial inequities and utilizing culturally-sensitive support strategies that work.
