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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
ESTABLISHING A JOINT COOK-CHICAGO TASK FORCE AGAINST HEROIN
WHEREAS, The County of Cook is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6 (a); and,
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6 (a); and,
WHEREAS, Pursuant to their home rule powers, both the County of Cook and the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to their governments and affairs, including the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and,
WHEREAS, the President of Cook County Board and the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby find that Cook County must take immediate action to address the heroin crisis in Cook County; and,
WHEREAS, Heroin-related overdose deaths have quadrupled in the United States in the past decade; and,
WHEREAS, Nationwide, the number of people who admitted using heroin within the past year nearly doubled between 2007 and 2013 to 681,000; and,
WHEREAS, Heroin overdose deaths have been on the rise statewide since 2011, according to Illinois Department of Public Health; Last year, 633 heroin overdose deaths occurred statewide, up from 583 in 2013; and,
WHEREAS, In 2013, heroin accounted for 224 of the 337 total opioid-linked deaths in Cook County; and,
WHEREAS, According to a report published by the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University, in 2011, hospitals in the Chicago Metropolitan Area witnessed more heroin-related emergency room visits than any other city in the country; and,
WHEREAS, According to the Arrestee Drug Use Monitoring Program, Cook County ranked first in the nation for heroin use among arrestees in 2011; and,
WHEREAS, Arrestees from Chicago tested positive for opiates including heroin at a rate that is 18.5% higher than any other city in the nation; and,
WHEREAS, Arrestees from Cook County also self-reported using heroin more times per month and reported using heroin in the prior three days more than those from any other area; and,
WHEREAS, In the Chicago area, those entering into publicly funded treatment for heroin in 2012 represented 35 percent of treatment admissions, more than double the national average and higher than the state as a whole; and,
WHEREAS, In 2013 the DuPage County Board joined with the Coroner, State’s Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriff, Judiciary, Superintendent of Education, Chiefs of Police, and Public Health staff to establish the DuPage Coalition Against Heroin to address the alarming trend of opioid use leading to heroin addiction sweeping the region; and
WHEREAS, In 2014, DuPage County heroin deaths dropped from 46 the previous year to 33; and
WHEREAS, Addressing heroin-related issues in Cook County and Chicago requires a multi-tiered approach and the corporate authorities of the City of Chicago and the President and the Board of Commissioners of Cook County intend to collaborate with executive departments, sister agencies, other government agencies and officials, medical professionals, advocates of drug addiction treatment programs, and other experts to develop a plan to combat the scourge of heroin addiction in Cook County and Chicago; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE PRESIDENT AND THE COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS:
SECTION 1. There is hereby created an advisory task force entitled the Cook-Chicago Task Force Against Heroin to make recommendations to the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, as well as the City of Chicago and her corporate authorities, concerning the formulation of a multi-tiered plan to address heroin-related issues in Cook County and the City of Chicago. The advisory task force specifically is charged with issuing specific policy recommendations on the following topics:
(a) Naloxone Program. This analysis shall address the success of naloxone programs
in other jurisdictions and focus on the advisability of providing Chicago and Cook County law enforcement with anti-opioid kits and training for administering naloxone.
(b) Law Enforcement. This analysis shall focus on local law enforcement’s strategy for targeting heroin sales and distribution within the city and the county. This analysis shall, at a minimum, identify any increase in heroin-related criminal activity and address Law Enforcement’s efforts to combat heroin-related crimes in the city and the county.
(c) Public Health Measures. This analysis shall focus on the availability of heroin and other prescription opioid addiction treatment programs in Chicago and Cook County, treatment capacity and funding, and ways in which the city and the county can coordinate with other government agencies and not-for-profit entities to offer heroin and other prescription opioid addiction prevention and treatment services.
(d) Public Awareness. This analysis shall focus on potential prevention education and community awareness campaigns.
SECTION 2.
(a) The Cook-Chicago Task Force Against Heroin shall consist of the following appointees from Cook County: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Commissioner Richard R. Boykin, a designee of Cook County Sheriff, a designee of the Cook County State’s Attorney, a designee of the Cook County Public Defender, a designee of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, and a designee of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System.
(b) The Cook-Chicago Task Force Against Heroin shall consist of the following appointees from the City of Chicago: Aldermen Edward M. Burke, Pat Dowell, Leslie Hairston, George A. Cardenas, Willie B. Cochran, Ariel E. Reboyras, Emma A. Mitts, a designee of the Chicago Police Department, a designee of the Chicago Fire Department, a designee of the Office of Emergency Management & Communications, a designee of the Chicago Department of Public Health, and a designee of the Department of Law.
(c) The advisory task force shall additionally consult with the Medical Examiner of Cook County, the Chicago Public Schools, school district officials of other municipalities in Cook County, medical professionals, advocates of drug addiction treatment programs, and other government officials and experts when addressing heroin-related issues in the City of Chicago and Cook County.
SECTION 3. The Cook-Chicago Task Force Against Heroin shall report its findings to the President of the Cook County Board and the Cook County Board of Commissioners within 60 days.
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