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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION TO ASSESS NEEDS AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDED BY COOK COUNTY GOVERNMENT
WHEREAS, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines behavioral health as the promotion of mental health, emotional, psychological and social wellbeing and resilience; the treatment of mental and substance use disorders; and the support of those who experience and/or are in recovery from these conditions, along with their families and communities; and
WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health's Illinois Healthcare Report Card has reported that between 2016-2018, residents of Cook County had an average of 3.56 mentally unhealthy days per month; and
WHEREAS, an Illinois Department of Public Health report from 2015 identified that behavioral health visits to Illinois emergency departments (ED) were growing faster than any other category of care offered through Illinois EDs; and
WHEREAS, the same report showed a health disparity in which African Americans face a greater risk of relying on emergency departments to access behavioral health care, with 1.67 times more visits than whites; and
WHEREAS, according to a 2016 survey of behavioral health facilities conducted by the Chicago Department of Public Health 79% of publicly available behavioral health agencies reported unmet mental health needs and 61% reported unmet substance-use related needs; and
WHEREAS, a 2019 report from the Alliance for Health Equity identified "quality" as the greatest overarching need for behavioral health services in Cook County; and
WHEREAS, lack of mental health and behavioral services along with other community support are a major concern for recidivism in people either released from the County Jail or on Electronic monitoring; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Government has typically allocated funding for behavioral health services; and funding is allocated for these programs; and
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