Title
PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE TO FILE #25-4222
RESOLUTION TO ASSESS NEEDS AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDED BY COOK COUNTY GOVERNMENT
(Health and Hospitals Committee 11/18/2025) - Issued on: 11/14/2025
WHEREAS, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines behavioral health as the promotion of mental health, emotional, psychological, and social well-being 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 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Illinois released a 2021 fact sheet indicating that 38.5% of adults in Illinois reported symptoms of anxiety or depression; and
WHEREAS, that same fact sheet reported that 1 in 4 people with a serious mental illness has been arrested by the police at some point in their lifetime; 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, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic 31.3% of adults in Illinois reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, compared to 31.6% of adults in the U.S;and;
WHEREAS, according to Children's Hospital of Chicago, 44% of Chicago children experienced an increase in at least one mental or behavioral health system during the pandemic compared with before the pandemic; 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 monitori...
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