Public Act 094-0447
 
HB0615 Enrolled LRB094 06297 DRJ 36371 b

    AN ACT concerning health.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Reduction of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Act.
 
    Section 5. Legislative findings and intent.
    (a) The General Assembly finds that despite State
investments in health care programs, certain racial and ethnic
populations in Illinois continue to have significantly poorer
health outcomes when compared to non-Hispanic whites. The
General Assembly finds that local solutions to health care
problems can have a dramatic and positive effect on the health
status of these populations. Local governments and communities
are best equipped to: identify the health education, health
promotion, and disease prevention needs of the racial and
ethnic populations in their communities; mobilize the
community to address health outcome disparities; enlist and
organize local public and private resources and faith-based
organizations to address these disparities; and evaluate the
effectiveness of interventions.
    (b) The Illinois Department of Human Services has several
initiatives to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in infant
mortality and diabetes, and the Illinois Department of Public
Health has several initiatives to address asthma; breast,
cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer; kidney disease;
HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; sexually transmitted diseases; adult
and child immunizations; cardiovascular disease; and
accidental injuries and violence.
    (c) It is therefore the intent of the General Assembly to
provide funds within Illinois counties, in the form of
"Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Closing the
Gap" grants, to stimulate the development of community-based
and neighborhood-based projects that will improve the health
outcomes of racial and ethnic populations. Further, it is the
intent of the General Assembly that these programs foster the
development of coordinated, collaborative, and broad-based
participation by public and private entities and by faith-based
organizations. Finally, it is the intent of the General
Assembly that the grant program function as a partnership
between State and local governments, faith-based
organizations, and private-sector health care providers,
including managed care, voluntary health care resources,
social service providers, and nontraditional partners.
 
    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
    "Director" means the Director of Public Health.
 
    Section 15. Grant program.
    (a) Subject to appropriations for that purpose, the
Department shall establish and administer a grant program to
implement this Act.
    (b) The Department shall do the following:
        (1) Publicize the availability of funds and establish
    an application process for submitting a grant proposal.
        (2) Provide technical assistance and training,
    including a statewide meeting promoting best practice
    programs, as requested, to grant recipients.
        (3) Develop uniform data reporting requirements for
    the purpose of evaluating the performance of the grant
    recipients and demonstrating improved health outcomes.
        (4) Develop a monitoring process to evaluate progress
    toward meeting grant objectives.
        (5) Coordinate with the Illinois Department of Human
    Services and existing community-based programs, such as
    chronic disease community intervention programs, cancer
    prevention and control programs, diabetes control
    programs, the Children's Health Insurance (KidCare)
    Program, the HIV/AIDS program, immunization programs, and
    other related programs at the State and local levels, to
    avoid duplication of effort and promote consistency.
    (c) The Office of Minority Health within the Department
shall establish measurable outcomes to achieve the goal of
reducing health disparities in the following priority areas:
asthma; breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer
screening; kidney disease; HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; sexually
transmitted diseases; adult and child immunizations;
cardiovascular disease; and accidental injuries and violence.
     The Office of Minority Health shall enhance current data
tools to ensure a statewide assessment of the risk behaviors
associated with the health disparity priority areas identified
in this subsection. To the extent feasible, the Office shall
conduct the assessment so that the results may be compared to
national data.
    (d) The Director may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee
to: examine areas where public awareness, public education,
research, and coordination regarding racial and ethnic health
outcome disparities are lacking; consider access and
transportation issues that contribute to health status
disparities; and make recommendations for closing gaps in
health outcomes and increasing the public's awareness and
understanding of health disparities that exist between racial
and ethnic populations.
 
    Section 20. Eligibility for grant.
    (a) Any person, entity, or organization within a county may
apply for a grant under this Act and may serve as the lead
agency to administer and coordinate project activities within
the county and develop community partnerships necessary to
implement the grant.
    (b) Persons, entities, or organizations within adjoining
counties with populations of less than 100,000 may jointly
submit a multicounty grant proposal. The proposal must clearly
identify a single lead agency with respect to program
accountability and administration, however.
    (c) In addition to the grants awarded under subsections (a)
and (b), up to 20% of the funding for the grant program shall
be dedicated to projects that address improving racial and
ethnic health status within specific urban areas identified by
the Department in rules.
    (d) Nothing in this Act prevents a person, entity, or
organization within a county or group of counties from
separately contracting for the provision of racial and ethnic
health promotion, health awareness, and disease prevention
services.
 
    Section 25. Grant proposal requirements.
    (a) A proposal for a grant under this Act must be submitted
to the Department for review.
    (b) A proposal for a grant must include each of the
following elements:
        (1) The purpose and objectives of the proposed project,
    including identification of the particular racial or
    ethnic disparity the project will address. The proposal
    must address one or more of the following priority areas:
            (A) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
        maternal and infant mortality rates.
            (B) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
        morbidity and mortality rates relating to cancer.
            (C) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
        morbidity and mortality rates relating to HIV/AIDS.
            (D) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
        morbidity and mortality rates relating to
        cardiovascular disease.
            (E) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
        morbidity and mortality rates relating to diabetes.
            (F) Increasing adult and child immunization rates
        in certain racial and ethnic populations.
            (G) Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
        oral health care.
        (2) Identification and relevance of the target
    population.
        (3) Methods for obtaining baseline health status data
    and assessment of community health needs.
        (4) Mechanisms for mobilizing community resources and
    gaining local commitment.
        (5) Development and implementation of health promotion
    and disease prevention interventions.
        (6) Mechanisms and strategies for evaluating the
    project's objectives, procedures, and outcomes.
        (7) A proposed work plan, including a timeline for
    implementing the project.
        (8) The likelihood that project activities will occur
    and continue in the absence of funding.
    (c) The Department shall give priority to proposals that:
        (1) Represent areas with the greatest documented
    racial and ethnic health status disparities.
        (2) Exceed the minimum local contribution requirements
    specified in Section 30.
        (3) Demonstrate broad-based local support and
    commitment from entities representing racial and ethnic
    populations, including non-Hispanic whites. Indicators of
    support and commitment may include agreements to
    participate in the program, letters of endorsement,
    letters of commitment, interagency agreements, or other
    forms of support.
        (4) Demonstrate a high degree of participation by the
    health care community in clinical preventive service
    activities and community-based health promotion and
    disease prevention interventions.
        (5) Have been submitted from counties with a high
    proportion of residents living in poverty and with poor
    health status indicators.
        (6) Demonstrate a coordinated community approach to
    addressing racial and ethnic health issues within existing
    publicly financed health care programs.
        (7) Incorporate intervention mechanisms that have a
    high probability of improving the targeted population's
    health status.
        (8) Demonstrate a commitment to quality management in
    all aspects of project administration and implementation.
 
    Section 30. Grant awards.
    (a) The Department may award one or more grants in a county
or in a group of adjoining counties from which a multicounty
grant proposal is submitted. The Department may award an urban
area grant under subsection (c) of Section 20 in a county or
group of adjoining counties that are also receiving a grant
award under subsection (a) or (b) of Section 20.
    (b) Units of local government may provide matching grants
to supplement those made by the Department.
    (c) The amount of the grant award shall be based on the
county or urban area's population, or on the combined
population in a group of adjoining counties from which a
multicounty application is submitted, and on other factors, as
determined by the Department in rules.
    (d) The Department shall begin disseminating grant awards
no later than January 1, 2007.
    (e) The Department shall fund a grant under this Act for
one year and may renew the grant annually upon application to
and approval by the Department, subject to the achievement of
quality standards, objectives, and outcomes and to the
availability of funds.
 
    Section 35. Continued operation of programs to reduce
racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality and diabetes.
Subject to the amounts appropriated for that purpose, the
Illinois Department of Human Services shall continue to operate
programs to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in infant
mortality and diabetes.