Opioid use can be particularly dangerous among children and adolescents. Between 1994 and 2007, the prescribing rates for opioids among adolescents and young adults almost doubled. In 2015, more than a quarter of a million adolescents were using pain relievers without a medical purpose. Children often access opioids from prescriptions of family members, while most adolescents who abuse opioids were first prescribed them by a doctor. Children and adolescents who are prescribed opioids have a higher risk for substance use disorder.

As governor, I will work with the medical and mental health communities to make sure that pediatricians discuss the serious dangers of opioids with parents and patients, both during routine check-ups and when writing prescriptions. I will also encourage regular mental health screenings, and work to ensure that psychiatrists discuss drug abuse with adolescent patients, given the increased danger of drug addiction in patients with mental illness. Finally, I support a greater public health campaign in schools. This will allow for the dangers of opioids to be taught at a younger age and ensure the stigma of addiction will not prevent those who need it from seeking treatment.

Opioids have legitimate medical purposes, but they are not without substantial risks. Nationally, nearly 80 percent of heroin users reported using prescription opioids first. Patients can also shop doctors and pharmacies, leaving little way to monitor their prescriptions.

To combat prescription opioid abuse, I will work with physicians to put in place measures that help keep people safe. I will fight to strengthen Illinois’ prescription monitoring program so that physicians and pharmacies have access to accurate information about the quantity of opioids their patients receive. I will also work to ensure that physicians are better trained in the dangers of opioid addiction and treatment options as part of continuing medical education.

Finally, as called for in the updated prescribing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I will support legislation to implement comprehensive prescribing guidelines that further limit the number of days of an initial opioid prescription, which can reduce the risk for addiction.

Too often, those suffering from opioid addiction only receive treatment once they go to emergency rooms. Intermediate treatment and medication-assisted treatment are hard to find, especially in central and southern Illinois. This makes long-term recovery harder and leaves Illinoisans most at-risk without the tools they need to build healthy lives.

As governor, I will use a multi-pronged approach to remove barriers to addiction and mental health treatment and recovery. I will restore the treatment, housing, and workforce development supports that were decimated under Bruce Rauner and look for ways to expand capacity across the state for treatment services.

Additionally, I will facilitate coordination between hospitals and social service agencies to ensure that individuals who receive emergency treatment for drug use are directed to treatment programs when they’re discharged. We also need to expand jail and prison substance use disorder case management systems to connect individuals to community treatment upon release. This coordination will give those suffering from drug addiction the tools they need to transition into recovery.

We know that incarcerating Illinoisans who are addicted to opioids is more expensive and less effective than providing medical treatment. The average cost of methadone maintenance treatment is about $4,700 per patient. A year in prison costs Illinois over $22,000 per inmate. Every dollar invested in addiction treatment programs yields a return of between $4 and $7 in reduced drug-related crime and criminal justice costs. Methadone treatment for 2,500 people could save Illinois up to $100 million dollars in reduced crime and healthcare outcomes.

As governor, I will work to increase access to problem-solving drug courts, ensure that judges understand the available treatment options, and ensure those options are more readily available. That means having enough space to meet demand in rehabilitation programs, including both inpatient or medication-assisted treatment programs. Providing access to this treatment will help formerly incarcerated people ease back in to the community, increasing their chances to rehabilitate their lives and reducing the likelihood of recidivism.

Healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and all Illinoisans deserve access to quality care. That includes treatment for opioid addiction. Quality treatment is easier with insurance coverage, and Illinois has strong laws on the books to ensure that insurance companies cover treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, given the strong correlation between the two.

However, a recent report found that 75 percent of Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) denied coverage for a range of treatments. This is in addition to almost half of commercial insurance companies that deny coverage for inpatient treatment and nearly one-third that deny coverage for partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and medication-assisted treatment. The report also found that both Medicaid MCOs and commercial insurance companies regularly use other barriers to care for mental health and substance use disorder treatment short of outright denial.

As governor, I will work to ensure that insurance companies provide the coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatment that they are lawfully required to cover. I will strengthen enforcement of the state’s parity laws and close loopholes that still allow insurance companies and MCOs to partially deny coverage based on a range of non-quantitative treatment limitations. I will also work to expand healthcare across our state, through my first-in-the-nation public option health insurance program, IllinoisCares.

To root out the opioid epidemic, we also need to do the work at the local level. There is positive work happening in some of our communities where law enforcement, social services, and schools work together and apply for federal grants. These resources are then used to fund locally-directed prevention and drug take-back programs at the community level. The state should assist every community in Illinois to form coalitions and compete for these critical grants.

As governor, I will fight to ensure that the state is capturing as much federal funding as possible. I will focus on matching opportunities, where a modest state investment can unlock federal funding. I will also find ways for the state to assist local governments and non-profit organizations in taking advantage of federal grant opportunities. This is especially true for many of our small and rural communities that may need more technical assistance on grant applications. Finally, I will help local governments form intergovernmental task forces, so that police departments, schools, and public health departments can work together to combat opioid abuse across our state.

By working together and investing in prevention and treatment instead of incarceration, we can combat the opioid epidemic in Illinois and create real, lasting change. My plan is a multi-faceted approach to prevent addiction in the first place, remove barriers to treatment, and encourage treatment instead of incarceration. We can and we will break the cycle of addiction today and for future generations.