State of Illinois

Ninety-Fifth General Assembly

House of Representatives

 

House Resolution No. 1307

 

Offered by Representatives John E. Bradley-Robert F. Filder

 

 

 

    WHEREAS, Employees of Heartland Human Services in

 

 

Effingham have been on strike since July, 2007; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, These employees normally deliver crucial mental

 

 

health and substance abuse services that are necessary for the

 

 

health, welfare, safety, and quality of life of Heartland

 

 

clients and all residents of Effingham County; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, through the Department of

 

 

Human Services and other State agencies, contracts with

 

 

Heartland to provide those services; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, Because of the strike, only a small fraction of

 

 

normal services have been delivered over the past 10 months;

 

 

and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, Data for the first 7 months of the fiscal year

 

 

show that Heartland's billings were reduced by 96%, and the

 

 

number of clients served was reduced by 71%; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, Many former Heartland clients have reported that

 

 

they have gone without services or have received insufficient

 

 

services; and

 

 

 

    WHEREAS, This lack of services has placed an unsustainable

 

 

burden on Heartland clients and their families, to the point

 

 

that one client committed suicide; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, Over 25 behavioral health professionals formerly

 

 

employed at Heartland signed a statement attesting that

 

 

Heartland "demonstrated a disturbing lack of concern for the

 

 

well-being of clients" and that the employees had themselves

 

 

"felt the lack of respect that management had for employees who

 

 

sought to serve those clients"; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, Because of the lack of service delivery due to the

 

 

strike, the Department of Human Services Division of Alcohol

 

 

and Substance Abuse has discontinued grant payments to

 

 

Heartland; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, The money the Division of Alcohol and Substance

 

 

Abuse has not paid to Heartland may be available to fund

 

 

increased service delivery by other providers in the area who

 

 

are attempting to serve the former Heartland clients; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services Division of

 

 

Mental Health elected to continue to pay Heartland for the

 

 

first five months of the fiscal year, despite the lack of

 

 

service delivery; and

 

 

    WHEREAS, The Division of Mental Health paid Heartland

 

 

approximately $200,000 monthly even though virtually no

 

 

services were being delivered; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, The Division of Mental Health has not been able to

 

 

guarantee other mental health providers who are treating

 

 

Heartland clients that they will be reimbursed for their

 

 

expanded service delivery this year; therefore, be it
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that

 

 

State agencies should steward State funding to ensure the

 

 

maximum amount of services are delivered to the most clients

 

 

possible; and be it further
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, That the Auditor General is directed to conduct a

 

 

performance audit of the State moneys provided by or through

 

 

State agencies to Heartland Human Services under contracts or

 

 

grant agreements in Fiscal Year 2007 and year-to-date 2008; and

 

 

be it further
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, That this audit include, but not be limited to,

 

 

the following determinations:

 

 

        (1) the purposes for which State moneys were provided

 

 

    to Heartland Human Services, for each State agency and for

 

 

    each amount transferred;

 

 

        (2) the nature and extent of monitoring by State

 

 

    agencies of how Heartland Human Services used the

 

 

    State-provided moneys;

 

 

        (3) the actual use of State moneys by Heartland Human

 

 

    Services;

 

 

        (4) whether, through a review of available

 

 

    documentation, Heartland Human Services has met or is

 

 

    meeting the purposes for which the State moneys were

 

 

    provided, with specific information concerning Heartland

 

 

    Human Services' staffing levels and its compensation of

 

 

    management employees; and

 

 

        (5) whether Heartland Human Services is in compliance

 

 

    with the applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and

 

 

    grant agreements pertaining to Heartland Human Services'

 

 

    receipt of State moneys; and be it further
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, That Heartland Human Services and any State or

 

 

local agency that may have information relevant to this audit

 

 

cooperate fully and promptly with the Auditor General's office

 

 

in its audit; and be it further
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as

 

 

soon as possible and report his findings and recommendations

 

 

upon completion in accordance with the provisions of Section

 

 

3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

presented to the Auditor General.

 

 

    Adopted by the House of Representatives on May 31, 2008.