Feds may help Kane County in battle against opioids
Kane County has a new ally in its efforts to address the growing problem of opioid overdose deaths: the federal government.
Doug O'Brien, regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, met with the county board this week in an effort to establish relationships with local governments the agency views as the "front line" for combating the opioid epidemic.
Kane is one of several counties to see a rising death toll from opiates large enough to prompt officials to file a lawsuit against drug manufacturers.
A relationship with HHS could establish a more direct funding pipeline to Kane County for the $3.6 billion in federal funds the agency has to combat the problem. President Donald Trump also has proposed $10 billion in opioid funding for HHS in his fiscal year 2019 plan.
"The White House has made this a top priority," O'Brien said. "We know this is not a crisis that has a Washington, D.C., solution. This is a problem that is going to be solved in living rooms, in church basements, in police stations and in emergency rooms."
O'Brien told the board there is a five-point plan for addressing the problem. It includes improving data collection to help understand the problem. It emphasizes the positive impact of making overdose reversal drugs, such as naloxone, broadly available. And it encourages scientific research into better, less addictive pain management.
O'Brien said there is blame to share for why that part of the plan is needed.
"We judged the quality of medical providers, in part, on how well they managed pain," O'Brien said. "We made pain the fifth vital sign. It incentivized providers to manage pain to the satisfaction of their patients. And that, inadvertently, often led to the use of opioids where they may not have been indicated to the extent that they were used."
Another aspect of the plan advocates for better addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services. O'Brien said there is a "capacity problem" stemming from a lack of beds at treatment facilities. That's a touchy subject for Kane County. The board is in settlement talks with a developer who filed a federal lawsuit after being twice denied permission by county officials to open a treatment facility outside of Campton Hills.
O'Brien closed with positive news in the form of $1 billion in federal funding coming to states this September to combat the opioid problem.
All that is welcome news for county officials even if there was some awkwardness in terms of who delivered it. O'Brien was the campaign manager for former Kane County Board Chairwoman Karen McConnaughay during her run for state Senate. Chris Lauzen, the board's current chairman, made a variety of pay-to-play allegations about her during his own race. O'Brien also served as the chief of staff for former Sen. Mark Kirk. O'Brien, who is an alumnus of St. Charles High School, said he is happy to form a link between his current professional role and his home county.