Prevention for Illinois: Assembly Releases Findings By GEORGE H. RYAN, Lieutenant Governor Chairman, Illinois Addictions Research Institute

If Illinois is going to remain one of our nation's top states, then we have to actively battle the drug and alcohol abuse that is taking a toll on the moral and economic foundation of the state.

And in order to work most effectively to combat substance abuse, we have to adopt 21st century prevention methods now. Fortunately, Illinois has many fine minds that have helped map out a plan of action. That is, through the Illinois Assembly on the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, which met in Springfield at the end of March, avenues for prevention were identified.

The undertaking was fortunate to have as its chairman Circuit Court Judge Michael B. Getty. Of course, Director William Atkins of the Illinois Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse brought a great deal of commitment to the project as well.

In all, there were 143 delegates. They served on one of ten issue groups: Business and Labor, Community, Educational Institutions, Families, Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice, Media, Religious Institutions, Treatment, and Aftercare/Self Help.

The blue-ribbon task force found that a broad-based approach was critical; there has to be involvement by employers, hospitals, schools, churches, law enforcement and community groups. It also became clear that each of these sectors has to become more enlightened. There has to be a round-the-clock prevention mentality present.

In issuing its 100-page report, the Illinois Assembly on the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse emphasized the importance of promoting healthy life-styles. The group specifically highlights the role of the health care establishments — from medical schools and hospitals to public health agencies and insurance companies — in furthering the prevention message.

Overall, though, the Assembly concluded that more emphasis must be placed on prevention as being wholistic; that mental, physical, spiritual, and social aspects must be considered in promoting substance abuse-free lifestyles. I was gratified too, that the delegates flatly ruled out legalization of drugs; urged community involvement in prevention; and recognized the appropriateness of a continuum of care that includes prevention, intervention, and treatments.

By the way, the March gathering was so successful that it set a precedent for similar assemblies to be held at the local level this year.

The Illinois Assembly itself was the first of its kind in the state. The concept of an Assembly was originally developed by Columbia University in 1950 by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The goal, said Eisenhower, was to provide "a body of knowledge, a setting and a technique for bringing thoughtful persons together to discuss and voice their opinions so that they may be inserted into the flow of American thought." •

Page 18 / Illinois Municipal Review / June 1990