A large reduction of federal funds could have a substantial impact on Human Support Services and dozens of other community organizations focused on mental health and substance use disorder.

Per a press release from the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that the Trump Administration is expected to terminate up to $28 million in funding that Congress previously directed to Illinois for mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

This federal funding provided support for 77 community-based organizations throughout the state.

The funds came through the American Rescue Plan Act, meant to alleviate the mental health impacts felt amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The IDPH press release notes an apparent 14 percent increase in alcohol consumption compared to pre-pandemic levels.

“At a time when Americans desperately need support for mental health and substance abuse, the Trump Administration has again prioritized cruelty over care and cut essential funds states were relying on to fund lifesaving programs,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “We know many Illinoisans still face mental health challenges after the pandemic, and we need to do everything we can to help them. The programs supported by the funding have ripple effects that touch every community in Illinois — reduction in violence, lowered healthcare costs, and a happier and healthier population.”

Separately, an article from Capitol News Illinois notes that $125 million allocated to IDPH and 97 local health departments for infectious disease prevention is also set to be taken back by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This article likewise notes that another $324 million appropriated by Congress for future prevention and treatment of infectious disease is also being blocked.

As the article further notes, these terminations of healthcare funds are part of a large $1.8 billion in federal funding the state is expecting to receive that is currently in limbo.

With Monroe County having a central organization engaged in various mental health efforts, HSS President Anne Riley and Development Director Courtney Hunter spoke with the Republic-Times to discuss the funding and what a cut could mean to local mental health services.

They reiterated how HSS and other entities throughout the state were able to put together a number of services in recent years thanks to ARPA funds.

As a statewide effort, they pointed particularly to Illinois’ adoption of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in 2022, providing anyone in the state with the means to quickly contact a trained crisis worker at any time.

Riley and Hunter also pointed to HSS’ recent collaborations with local law enforcement agencies, allowing trained mental health professionals to respond with police when necessary.

They also noted how important it is for HSS to avoid regressing or diminishing when it comes to the growth that’s come since the start of the COVID pandemic, especially as the rates of crisis responses and mental health interventions have increased, particularly among youth.

Regarding the impact the organization could feel should the ARPA funds be terminated, they said HSS’ Crisis Care would likely be one affected program.

This particular program allows HSS to provide continuous access to crisis care services in Monroe County. Should funding for the program be lost, the organization’s ability to keep a crisis worker on-call would be impacted, as would its ability to have a crisis worker respond to incidents in-person.

The organization’s collaboration with law enforcement could also be impacted.

While Riley and Hunter emphasized the importance of these ARPA funds – any loss in funding could have a substantial impact on the numerous services the organization provides to its clients in the community – they also noted HSS is accustomed to fighting for much of its operating funds.

They stressed that changes in federal and state funding such as the potential ARPA fund termination have real repercussions for Monroe County, adding that any loss or reduction to HSS’ services would be caused by a lack of funding rather than a lack of interest on the organization’s part.

They also spoke about HSS’ advocacy, joining similar organizations to communicate at the state level just how important these mental health services – and the funds that support them – are.

While there is concern among mental health organizations statewide and locally, Monroe County Health Department Administrator John Wagner spoke about the physical health side of the matter, offering a largely unconcerned perspective.

Wagner noted his department currently has one respiratory surveillance grant for $140,000 over a two-year period that could be lost amid these cuts – though he added his sentiment that the funds were meant to be used for COVID response and thus it’s understandable for the federal government to cancel these funds as pandemic response has largely been halted.

Relatedly, a press release from the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that he, along with 24 other attorneys general and governors, filed a lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for “abruptly and illegally terminating nearly $12 billion in critical public health grants to states.”

The press release notes the abruptness and lack of “legally valid explanation” of these grant terminations, emphasizing how state health agencies have come to rely on the funds for a range of public health needs including infectious disease management, fortifying emergency preparedness, modernizing public health infrastructure and providing mental health and substance use disorder services.

“Illinois and states across the nation rely on federal grants to provide state public health services that protect our children and residents from serious diseases or health crises,” Raoul said. “The abrupt termination of this funding that impacts millions of American lives is both callous and unlawful. I am absolutely committed to standing with other state attorneys general to fight the Trump Administration’s ludicrous and unlawful actions that threaten the health and safety of Illinois residents.”

With the lawsuit, Raoul and others in the coalition are seeking a temporary restraining order to invalidate HHS’ mass grant terminations in the suing states, arguing the actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act.

The states are also asking the court to prevent HHS from maintaining or reinstating the terminations and any agency actions implementing them.

For more information on HSS, visit hss1.org.

For more information on the Monroe County Health Department, visit monroecountyhealth.org.