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Senator Dick Durbin held a press conference at Haymarket Center to announce introduction of the Medicaid CARE Act, co-sponsored by Senator King (I – Maine).

The Act modifies the IMD Exclusion, a topic Haymarket's Dr. Dan Lustig and Jeff Collord have been working with the Senator’s office and others in Washington, DC, for several years. In addition to the Senator speakers at the press conference included Ray Soucek, who introduced the Senator; Dr. Lustig; Tom Britton, President and CEO of Gateway Foundation; and Pam Rodriguez, President and CEO of TASC.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined doctors and substance abuse treatment clients at Haymarket Center to discuss legislation he has introduced that will expand access to treatment for vulnerable populations who currently are not receiving the addiction care they need while the heroin and opioid prescription drug abuse epidemic continues to grow. The Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion (Medicaid CARE) Act would modify the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) Exclusion policy—a decades-old Medicaid policy that has had the unintended consequence of limiting treatment for our most at-risk populations.  The measure would allow more than 2,000 additional Illinois Medicaid recipients in Illinois to receive care annually.


“Too many substance abuse centers do not qualify for Medicaid because of an outdated understanding of addiction, which restricts access to care. Less than 12 percent of Illinoisans in need of substance abuse treatment actually receive it.  That unacceptable treatment rate is hindering our ability to help these individuals turn their lives around and start curtailing this public health epidemic that's feeding on our state's youth,” Durbin said. “That’s why I am introducing a bill to change this outdated and ill-advised policy to ensure that patients in need of substance abuse care can get it.”

 

Click the picture above to see an excerpt of Senator Durbin's press conference at Haymarket Center

 

 

Read Senator Durbin's entire press release here

 

 

After a painstaking and exhaustive survey, CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, has once again awarded Haymarket Center a full three year accreditation, the maximum offered. In an overwhelmingly positive report, the Commission praised Haymarket’s leadership, commitment, and effectiveness in providing services and making a positive impact on the lives of those they serve. In their summary meeting with Haymarket staff they had this to say about what they found:

“Haymarket senior leadership is respected by its colleagues for their commitment and efforts in advocating for services and adequate resources to support the clients they serve.

They are recognized for making evidence based arguments to support the efficacy in investing in treatment and resources and positive social and financial impact of these investments.  They are forward thinking and have maintained relationships with leaders and politicians and all levels of the government.

The organization is recognized for their commitment to strong relationships with funders, timely, accurate business practices and open responsive communication. 

Management staff are strong and have been successful maintaining a stable community that have provided leadership in the field on such new initiatives in the Affordable Care Act. 

The staff and leadership respond quickly to service demands, are clear with clients regarding their expectations and providing personalized and extraordinary service qualities of innovated treatments with clients.

Haymarket has a long standing positive reputation in Chicago for providing a wide continuum for addiction services and support with a comprehensive approach to recovery for vulnerable populations with complex needs and challenges.

The extensive continuum of services provides persons with program choices, seamless transition to levels of care and the opportunity to set a self-pace recovery process, the effectiveness of this approach in the achievement of positive outcomes for persons served.

The agency is recognized for its innovated evidence based projects in prevention, training and outreach services.  Treatment is tailored to the cultural needs of the person served including the provision of services and written materials in the person’s primary language.

Persons served report are tremendous degree of trust in the organization and its staff members.  And, they state that they are treated with upmost respect and dignity on all phases of treatment.  Persons served state they have never been turned away when seeking treatment even when the organization is at capacity or their needs are beyond the scope of services offered by the organization. 

Haymarket provides comprehensive employment services to the persons served including job readiness, budgeting, parenting, and merit cards for transportation, clothing and more; all leading to successful individualized competitive job placement.

They also have a positive working relationship with the community, as a local attorney from the Cook County public defender’s office, to local banks and the staff from the Illinois Department of Employment Security conduct workshops as part of the job readiness program. 

The Community Housing Program is a short term recovery model for individuals learning to live clean and sober lives.

Staff and individuals work together to master basic, daily living skills.  Additional support includes therapies and groups such as NA and AA.

Haymarket is commended for the large number or persons served who are also employees of the organization.  Two funding sources permit Haymarket to hire individuals on the job training program and many of these individuals have become regular Haymarket employees.  This demonstrates their belief to giving everyone a second chance.

Haymarket demonstrates a commitment to the provision of services guided by evidence based practices.  Training and supervision occurs at all levels to ensure that the evidence based modalities are implemented appropriately and effectively throughout the program. 

The organization provided services in a location that is well equipped to meet the needs of the persons served.  

Transportation is provided to assist people served with community resources and needs in their continuity of care. 

The staff members of Haymarket have longevity with the organization and appear dedicated to the profession and steadfast in their approach providing quality services to their target population.  This longevity brings stability, history and continuity of service delivery.

Haymarket Center offers a menu of various education tracks in addition to program services.  The person served may enroll in lifestyle classes which builds and enhances their competencies and self-esteem.

That completes the report, ladies and gentlemen, and we applaud.”

CARF Certificate October 31, 2015

1. Because Illinois will LOSE critical federal funds.

States must contribute a “maintenance of effort” (MOE) to the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant. If substance use disorders (SUD) treatment GRF is cut, the block grant may also be cut. For every dollar Illinois cuts, funding may be reduced $2. Illinois has been informed that we will not receive another waiver from MOE due to years of cuts – 24% of funding since 2009.

2. Because ACA and Medicaid do not cover everything.

Thankfully the percentage of uninsured clients is dropping. However, Medicaid and insurance do not cover many services clients with severe addictions need in order to enter into and maintain recovery. In addition, the City of Chicago estimated that 110,000 residents would not qualify for ACA coverage.

3. Because it costs a LOT more to treat addicts in hospitals.

When treatment isn’t available, addicts go to hospital emergency rooms. Hospitals will return them to the streets after a brief stay. In cases of Heroin abuse, hospitals often release patients before onset of full withdrawal (5-7 days), creating a health risk and likelihood of relapse. Treatment providers like Haymarket move individuals into treatment and recovery, reducing hospital admissions.

4. Because you can’t reduce funding for treatment and the prison population at the same time.

At least 40% of offenders in Illinois prisons (over 19,000 offenders) have an SUD. Illinois can’t reduce this population if there is less treatment available in the community for them to access.

5. Because babies born to addicted mothers will cost WAY more in neo-natal intensive care.

At Haymarket Center, 1800 babies have been born to mothers in treatment. If they had gone into neonatal intensive care at $30,000 an episode, it would have cost Illinois $41,448,400 more than normal birth costs. Medicaid covers some, but not all, of the mothers’ treatment costs.

6. Because treatment providers are also employers.

To survive 6 years of cuts to SUD funding, Haymarket reduced its workforce by nearly 120 staff members. Other providers have shut down or are on the verge of closing. DASA cuts will send more individuals to unemployment.

7. Because treatment results in tax-paying citizens.

Haymarket clients have minimal job histories. When they enter into recovery and get a job through our workforce development program, they become tax-paying citizens for the first time.

Prepared by Haymarket Center. Please contact Jeffrey Collord, Director of External Affairs, with any questions.

EMERITUS BOARD MEMBER

JOHN M. BUTLER 

John M. Butler was born in Brooklyn, New York and received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from St. John’s University in New York and New York University respectively.  He was the Chief Financial and Accounting Officer of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad for 21 years including the period during which management negotiated and executed the acquisition of the railroad by its employees.  He executed or directed a wide variety of debt and equity financings aggregating over $2 billion.  In addition, he was actively involved in tax matters and the management of accounting operations, including cost reductions.  He was a director and member of the Executive Committee of the board for 11 years.  He held the same positions at the railroad’s holding company.  Mr. Butler is a Certified Public Accountant with 14 years of earlier and highly diversified accounting experience.  This included 4 years as Controller of Dictaphone Corporation, which had 3 manufacturing plants, and a company operated network of 240 sales and service branches, 4 years with ITT Corporation and 4 years with a Big Four national CPA firm.  Prior to that, he served 2 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, principally as a junior officer in the Philippines.  He has been on the board of Haymarket Center its predecessor McDermott Foundation since 1990.

A key factor in the success of Haymarket was the working team.  Working with Monsignor McDermott, Jack Whalen, along with many others was a man that brought in a priceless resource: not just money, but a man with sophisticated experience in finance.  It began when Monsignor McDermott told Mr. Whalen simply, “A man has called who wants to give money.  I’d like you to talk to him.”  He was John Butler, a recently retired top financial officer with the Chicago Northwestern railroad.  Whalen visited with Butler, who had been donating $2,000 here and $5,000 there.  Butler was looking for a cause to give more money to.  Whalen took him on a tour of the ravaged Haymarket House, pointing out what it could ultimately be.  Butler joined the board and became Chief Financial Officer of McDermott Foundation, volunteering his time and ruling on important financial decisions (source: Father Mac, written by Tom Roeser).

Since he joined the board of Haymarket Center, Mr. Butler has served as an unpaid Vice President and Chairman of the Finance Committee.  He was instrumental in acquiring land and buildings for the Center.  One of his accomplishments was to renegotiate the bank loan for Haymarket properties.  His efforts saved tens of thousands of dollars of interest payments.  These are but a few of the many contributions that Mr. Butler has been involved in.  We are grateful to his family for allowing him to be an intricate part of the history of Haymarket Center.

Finally, we say thanks to John for all the good work he has done for the people we are privileged to serve.  As a last request, Haymarket Center would be honored for John to accept the honorary title of Emeritus Board Member recognizing the quantity and quality of your distinguished service and passion for the mission and vision set forth by our founder Monsignor Ignatius McDermott.  Your commitment serves as an example of a person who truly wants to do God’s work.

Dr. Dan Lustig, VP of Clinical Services at Haymarket Center, was interviewed this week by FOX News Chicago about the new CDC report that shows the increase in heroin use in the last decade, only reinforcing what we know from our patients at Haymarket.

While heroin use more than doubled among whites, it has seemed to level off in other racial and ethnic groups. It grew among different income levels, and in different parts of the country. And the rate of heroin use doubled in women, which is a more dramatic rise than what was seen in men.

At the Haymarket Center in Chicago, we are seeing the same problems as across the country, and maybe even worse due to Chicago being a hub for heroin distribution. “It's a chronically relapsing condition. It takes six to seven different treatment attempts, dosages of treatment before a person reaches a period of sustained recovery,” Dr. Lustig said.

See the full Fox News 32 Report here.

Dan Lustig, VP Clinical Services, Haymarket Center discusses how they aid people with chemical dependency in their recovery by providing a continuum of optimal professional care that is responsive to the identified needs of the community

Additional Information:
Over the past year, about 25,000 girls and women in the Chicago area were recruited for or coerced into the commercial sex industry—and the number of such victims is steadily increasing. How has human trafficking become such a big business here? A panel of top law enforcement officials and representatives of social service agencies will examine this most vexing local issue.

Some of the items listed below may seem like “symptoms” of being a teenager, but what’s important is noting multiple changes in behavior, mood or attitude from how someone acts normally.   If you suspect something is different with your teen, start a conversation.  The following warning signs are from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Easy-to-Read Drug Facts, “Signs of Drug Abuse and Addiction.”

• 1) Changes in mood that seem to happen suddenly, from sad to happy.
• 2) Spending a lot of time alone.
• 3) Loss of interest in what used to be favorite activities.
• 4) Uncharacteristic high energy, speaking rapidly, saying things that don’t make sense.
• 5) Strange sleeping patterns.
• 6) Changes in personal hygiene: not bathing, brushing teeth or changing clothes.
• 7) Acting nervous, cranky or frequently in a bad mood.
• 8) Changes in appetite or eating patterns.
• 9) Having trouble at school or work, or missing appointments.
• 10) Being overly tired and sad.

Want to learn more? See FAQs in Ask Haymarket.