Community setting best for mentally ill

As Lake County Sheriff, I support the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Sector Services Section 1115 Waiver application to the federal Social Security Administration's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office (CMS).

A Section 1115 waiver expands the Illinois criminal justice system's short-term detention alternatives for nonviolent populations suffering from substance abuse disorder or mental illness.

The state of Illinois' Section 1115 Waiver focuses on shifting this population from an institutionalized setting to a community care setting, increasing access to the services people need at the time they need them. The good news for taxpayers is the waiver must be budget neutral to CMS, ensuring that CMS will not spend more with the waiver than it would without it.

In addition, taxpayers will benefit by the reduced population of drug dependent and mentally ill populations in the Lake County jail.

I support the Section 1115 Waiver because I believe it will ultimately benefit society. Drug-dependent and mentally ill offenders treated in a health care environment with health care professionals are less likely to re-enter the criminal justice system and more likely to become productive members of society.

When a loved one is suffering from addiction or mental illness, families and communities suffer as well. I urge you to learn more about the Section 1115 Waiver at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services website.

Mark C. Curran, Jr.

Lake County Sheriff