Name: Courtney Boe

Position for which you are a candidate: Kane County Board District 21

 

Why are you seeking this position?

I am running because the County is failing to adequately recognize and tackle significant mental health, family, and women’s issues, including availability of health care and resources for people caring for aging and disabled family members, as well as woman friendly resources like low-cost childcare, legal assistance, shelters for victims of domestic violence, and low-cost training and educational opportunities. Moreover, I am staunchly pro-choice, and I support Illinois’ protection of a woman’s right to choose.  I believe it’s time for a fresh set of eyes and a woman’s voice in District 21.

More specifically, while serving on the Dundee Township Mental Health Board, I learned just how scarce our resources are.  As great of a job as our local clinics, shelters and mental health agencies did in adjusting to Covid safety protocols, as well as the influx of new patients, these providers are still struggling to meet the community’s needs:

–             Potential patients are still subject to long wait lists for therapists;

–             Many patients who need therapy are either uninsured or underinsured;

–             Low-income clinics/facilities cannot meet competitive wages/salaries to maintain staff and therapists.

These facilities need our help and I want to find state, federal and grant funding to help grow and improve the mental health of our county.

What experience and background do you have which qualifies you for this position?

I am a proud product of the Fox Valley. I grew up in Sleepy Hollow and went to D300 schools. I hold a BS in History from the University of Montana; in 2009, I returned to Illinois; and in 2015, I earned my law degree at Chicago’s John Marshall Law School. While at John Marshall, I worked at the Cook County Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, and externed for state and federal court judges. Recently, I served on the Dundee Township Mental Health Board where, along with my work at the Domestic Violence Clinic, I developed a passion for public service, supporting and empowering women and advocating for people with mental health illnesses. I am running because I believe that here in Kane County, as in the rest of the country, mental health issues, like women’s issues, are often stigmatized, downplayed, or ignored.

What will be your highest priorities if elected?

The above mental health needs require us to review and broaden our perspectives on how we, as a county, a community, and as individuals, view and support such programs.

The strain of mental health illnesses, substance abuse/addictions, developmental disabilities, etc. will only continue to grow and fester if we do not address the stigmatization and absence of adequate resources and treatment: indeed, mental health services are essential to the prosperity and well-being of our county.

I would like to see the County Board members take on a three-fold role: (i) Leadership, (ii) Support, and (iii) Finance assistance, if needed.  County Board members, and all public officials for that matter, should (i) lead by example: actively engaging and educating ourselves and our neighbors.  The county should also (ii) support and encourage local mental health boards and facilities as they are pivotal in coordinating resources, outreach, and financing.  Additionally, the county should continue to (iii) finance services and facilities through allocated ARPA/SLFRF funds as well as look to additional external sources of funding for proactive and preventative measures for transformative changes.  Lastly, in the long-run, I would like to consider the possibility of a county wide mental health board, but that notion is in its early stage and I need much more data to consider the benefits and possible ramifications before exploring it further.

 

 

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