ALERT: Ask House Lawmakers to Support and Vote “YES” on 340B Legislation    
Your immediate action is needed to ensure the Illinois Patient Access to 340B Pharmacy Protection Act (HB 3350) is called for a vote in the Illinois House of Representatives. Your Representatives must hear directly from hospital leaders about the essential role this program plays in ensuring access to life-saving medications and comprehensive care for vulnerable patients. Your outreach is critical to protecting the future of the 340B program in Illinois.

Contact your House legislator TODAY and urge them to support and say they will vote “yes” on IHA’s 340B protection legislation. Click here to access IHA’s digital messaging platform to send a pre-populated message directly to your House legislator to ask for their support of this legislation.

Click here to access an IHA fact sheet with accurate information about the 340B program and the proposed legislation—designed to counter misleading claims from the pharmaceutical industry.

Click here to access an IHA fact sheet describing the Illinois Patient Access to 340B Pharmacy Protection Act.

Next Week: IHA Webinar on Free DHS Naloxone Kits for Hospital Patients
The growing availability of the opioid-reversal medication naloxone was cited as “one of the biggest factors” in the 27% decrease in U.S. drug overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024, reported in provisional data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week.

With the vast majority of overdose deaths still attributed to synthetic opioids, Illinois hospitals have an opportunity to help accelerate the downward trend in overdose deaths. A complimentary IHA webinar, “Take-Home Naloxone: Creating Access and Saving Lives,” next Thursday, May 29, will guide hospitals and health systems in adopting a take-home naloxone program with free kits from the Illinois Dept. of Human Services.

The webinar will benefit those responsible for implementing a take-home naloxone program in their organization, including:

• Chief medical officers;
• Chief nursing officers;
• Chief quality officers;
• Emergency department directors and managers;
• Obstetrics directors and managers; and
• Patient safety and risk leaders.

From 11 a.m.-noon CT, you’ll learn about the scope of Illinois’ opioid epidemic; the streamlined Illinois Drug Overdose Prevention Program (DOPP) reporting portal; and the benefits of DOPP participation. The free kits are mainly intended for distribution through hospital emergency departments or inpatient units, particularly obstetrics, to patients at risk of overdose at discharge.

Continuing medical education credit and nursing contact hours will be available for attending the live program. The webinar recording will be shared with all registrants following the program. There is no fee to attend. Register today.

Email QualityPatientSafety@team-iha.org with questions.

FBI Alert on Text, Voice Message Scam Targeting Government Officials
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center issued a May 15 warning about a fraudulent text and voice-messaging campaign impersonating senior U.S. government officials. Since April, the scheme has targeted numerous current and former federal and state government officials and their contacts. The FBI warned the actors use both text and AI-generated voice messages to build trust and ultimately gain access to personal accounts that may then be used to exploit others. The alert warns the public that if they “receive a message claiming to be from a senior U.S. official, do not assume it is authentic,” and includes recommended guidance to help identify a suspicious message and protect yourself against this type of malicious activity.

Behavioral Health Leaders Program on Intergenerational Mental Health
As we approach the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, you are invited to an in-person event featuring Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler, Illinois’ Chief Behavioral Health Officer, and Dr. Dana Weiner, Illinois’ Chief of Children's Behavioral Health Transformation, who are hosting an intimate fireside chat on intergenerational mental health. Co-facilitated by Regina Crider, a statewide trainer and national speaker for children’s mental health, Crider will share her own lived experience as a consumer and parent of a now-adult daughter living with mental health challenges. This event is free and open to the public. Click here to register in advance for the program on Wednesday, May 28 from 5-6:30 p.m. CT. 

REMINDER: Interprofessional OUD ECHO® Program
Rush University Medical Center is accepting team applications for the fifth cohort of the Interprofessional OUD ECHO® Program for Illinois healthcare teams. This program is for teams that are interested in better understanding how to effectively work together to provide the highest quality of care to patients living with opioid use disorders (OUD). More details about the Interprofessional OUD ECHO® Program are here. The fifth cohort of this five-month program will launch June 26. The application deadline for healthcare teams is May 31. Click here to apply. 

ASPR Health Sector Recommendations Targeting Workplace Violence
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that nearly 75% of about 25,000 workplace assaults reported annually happen in healthcare settings. Yesterday, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR) released an Advisory Bulletin providing key recommendations for the healthcare sector intended to strengthen security protocols, enhance emergency preparedness, support mental health and retention, and promote information sharing.