Title
BHS State Contract Reductions And Planned Response - Schanding
Body
The Illinois legislature passed a budget that was out of balance (more expenses approved than revenue provided), and the governor vetoed approximately $1.4 billion in expenses in an attempt to balance the budget. Some of these vetoes were intended to be across-the-board reductions for specific departments, and some veto items eliminated specific programs within departmental budgets. The Department of Human Services Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse was disproportionately hit with major budget reductions, with 20% ($55 million) of its $250 million budget eliminated. In the next few months it stands to lose a comparable amount of matching federal funds. Other parts of the Department of Human Services have required an across-the-board contract decrease, typically for reductions in the 1-3% range.
The Board of Health should be aware of several items in relation to this issue. Behavioral Health Services has received a reduction of $45,647 from the Division of Mental Health (DMH) and $878,471 from the Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (DASA). We will make reductions in our staff to accommodate these reductions. Some of the reductions were specifically mandated by either the governor’s office or the state departments. We have had a case management program for approximately 20 years that specializes in working with individuals with severe problems in both mental health and substance abuse services. The governor zeroed out funding for this program. He also zeroed out funds for case coordination we provide for youth who have substance abuse problems and who have been part of the juvenile justice system. The DASA director has required that remaining funds be used specifically for treatment of persons diagnosed with substance abuse problems. More preventive or early treatment for persons experimenting with alcohol/drugs (particularly teens) has been eliminated. It a...
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