Anti-opioid death “Alex’s Law” passes General Assembly

SPRINGFIELD – Alex’s Law, a measure sponsored by State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) that aims to decrease deaths from opioid overdoses passed the Senate on Saturday. The legislation would ensure that people who seek emergency assistance for an individual experiencing symptoms of an opioid overdose will not be arrested for any crime related to the use of drugs at the scene.

“Saving lives has to be our first priority,” Ellman said. “Fear of criminal charges should never prevent someone from seeking help.”

The idea for the measure came from the death of a 25-year-old Naperville resident, Alex Green, who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2018. Alex had been with others at the time of his overdose, but none of the others on the scene called 911 for assistance. This meant the officers who arrived on scene were not able to identify what had happened until it was too late, despite having Narcan (a medicine used to treat opioid overdoses) with them at the time.

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Glowiak Hilton plan ensures quality mental health resources for students

SPRINGFIELD – After it passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) hopes her initiative will improve student access to mental health education and resources by allowing partnerships between state agencies.

“As our schools recover from numerous pandemic-related challenges, our state must prioritize our students’ well-being,” Glowiak Hilton said. “To ensure children are receiving the best mental health services at school, this proposal allows two key state agencies to work together to improve prevention and treatment resources.”

An initiative of the Illinois State Board of Education, Glowiak Hilton’s proposal allows board officials to collaborate with the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP) to give students access to a wider range of mental health resources at school.

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Johnson: In the wake of the pandemic, public health policy must meet communities’ unique needs

SPRINGFIELD – Community health issues could be better identified, understood and addressed under legislation sponsored by State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) to conduct a statewide public health survey.

“As the past year has shown us, a public health crisis can impact different neighborhoods in vastly different ways,” Johnson said. “As we craft public health policy in the wake of the pandemic, it’s important that we understand each community’s unique needs.”

Johnson’s legislation would require the Illinois Department of Public Health to administer a comprehensive Healthy Illinois Survey every year to study public health and health equity in Illinois.

The survey would gather input from Illinois residents in urban, suburban and rural areas across the state. Survey questions would cover a range of topics, including access to health services, chronic health conditions, diet, mental health, physical activity, substance abuse and more.

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Martwick measure helping schools reach students at risk of suicide passes

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) is pushing legislation to help schools identify students who are at higher risk of suicide, in order to help provide those students with more resources.

 “We know there are certain factors that put people of greater risk of suicidal thoughts,” Martwick said. “Recognizing this fact and providing students who may need help with more resources could save lives.”

This legislation requires schools to adopt policies that prioritize students who may be at higher risk of suicide for intervention. This includes students who are suffering from a mental health or substance abuse disorder, have a history of self-harm or attempted suicide, are experiencing housing struggles, have lost a loved one to suicide, and are part of the LGBTQ community.

Read more: Martwick measure helping schools reach students at risk of suicide passes