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Hope Taskforce announces grant recipients

Expands capabilities in the fight against the opioid crisis in DuPage County

“Opioids and substance use
disorder continue to take too
many lives,” said Greg Hart,
DuPage County Board Member
and HOPE Taskforce Co-chair.
“Our new grant partners will
expand DuPage’s efforts to
fight this epidemic through
innovative solutions that
leverage public, private and
non-profit partnerships.”

NEWS & UPDATES
NEWS & UPDATES
The DuPage County Heroin/Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Taskforce
announced the award of grants totaling $100,000 to expand its capabilities in the fight
against the opioid crisis in the County.
The Tazewell County Clerk’s Office has
received two Federal CyberNavigator The grant awardees and a brief description of each project include:
grants totaling over $5,600.00 which will
• DuPage Health Coalition - $50,000. The funds will increase the number of DuPage
be used to purchase new computers for
County emergency department physicians certified to administer medication-assisted
the Clerk’s election division and also
treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders.
reimburse the cost of IT staff time for
• Access Community Health Network - $30,412. The grant will allow the expansion of
implementation of the upgrades. Since
MAT services at the Access Family Health Center in West Chicago.
joining the Illinois CyberNavigator
• The Edward Foundation - $19,588. The funding will be used to create new peer-
Program in 2019, the Tazewell County
support recovery groups in DuPage County.
Clerk’s Office has received over
$71,204.18 in Federal CyberNavigator The proposals serve DuPage County residents and align with the Framework of the
Grant funding to improve CyberSecurity HOPE Taskforce: reduce access to drugs; reduce opioid use and misuse; increase
of the Clerk’s Election Division. overdose response; provide integrated mental health and substance use disorder treat-
ment and recovery; and address substance use prevention and education.
Champaign County’s drug court has “We welcome the opportunity to deepen the collaboration with these partners as we
been certified for three years. The work to reduce the impact of the opioid epidemic in DuPage County,” said Dr. Lanny
certification is the first for the County’s Wilson, HOPE Taskforce Co-chair.
drug court, which has served as a model The grant funding is made possible by the DuPage County Board, which has
for others throughout the state. The agreed to provide $100,000 annually to support the work of the HOPE Taskforce.
process involves a review by a three- The DuPage County HOPE Taskforce is an interagency, interdisciplinary advisory
member panel of judges who look at the group co-chaired by County Board Member (District 3) Greg Hart and DuPage County
court’s policies and procedures and the Board of Health Vice President Dr. Lanny Wilson. Members of the HOPE Taskforce are
participants’ handbook to make sure appointed by the DuPage County Board.
they are all in line with standards set by
the Illinois Supreme Court. “We’re doing To learn more about the HOPE Taskforce, please visit https://hopedupage.org/.
it right,” said Judge Jeff Ford, who’s
presided over the court since its incep-
tion in 1999. “It was just one of the things Sangamon County files opioid lawsuit
I wanted to get done before I retired.”
On Feb. 27, Sangamon County officials filed a federal lawsuit
The McLean County Board approved a
against companies that produce, market, and distribute opioids. As
3% sales tax on cannabis products in
incorporated parts of the county, with the reported by the State Journal Register, the 300-page lawsuit accuses the companies
same action of a 3.75% for those in un- of wrongdoing and seeks damages, including punitive damages, as well as court-
incorporated areas. Under the ordinance enforced corrective action, programs and communications, possible restitution or
is a clause stating, 35% of the money forfeiture, and attorney fees and court costs.
the county gets in taxes will be used to The lawsuit is a stand-alone action by Sangamon County against the companies.
create more services for those struggling Defendants in the lawsuit include a long list of well-known companies, including
with mental health. Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Walgreens, Kroger, and Mallinckrodt.