Springfield must support treatment

The Illinois House of Representatives voted 65-22 on July 16 to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich's veto of $43 million for state alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment programs. The Illinois Senate should override the veto, too.

If the governor's budget cuts stand, the substance abuse prevention and treatment system in Illinois will be crippled and a state health care crisis ignited, throwing more than 42,000 people out of care.

Here, in the Elgin area, more than 1,800 residents will lose prevention and treatment services.

Blagojevich cut $55 million from addiction treatment and also line-item vetoed money from specific programs: victims of domestic violence, women returning from incarceration, youth treatment, youth in the court system, and women receiving federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families who require treatment to be employed.

If the governor's cuts remain, the Illinois Department of Human Services - Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse will also lose $55 million in federal matching funds and witness its $253 million annual budget fall by $110 million, or 43 percent.

A 43-percent budget reduction will eliminate treatment for 42,140 people out of 98,000 currently served by state-financed community providers.

Cuts of this magnitude will expose Illinois hospital emergency rooms and local jails to the financial and human fallout of untreated addiction this year and years to come.

To avert a health care crisis in Illinois, the state Senate should immediately return to Springfield and match the House's action: vote to override Gov. Blagojevich's veto.

Jerry Skogmo

Executive Director

Renz Addiction Counseling Center