HB2896eng 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2896 Engrossed LRB101 08618 CPF 53698 b

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 2310-213 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2310/2310-213 new)

Sec. 2310-213. Diversity in Health Care Professions Task Force.

(a) The Diversity in Health Care Professions Task Force is created. The Director shall serve as the chairperson and shall appoint the following members to the Task Force, licensed to practice in their respective fields in Illinois:

(1) 2 dentists.

(2) 2 medical doctors.

(3) 2 nurses.

(4) 2 optometrists.

(5) 2 pharmacists.

(6) 2 physician assistants.

(7) 2 podiatrists.

(8) 2 public health practitioners.

(b) The Task Force has the following objectives:

(1) Minority students pursuing medicine or healthcare as a career option. The goal is to diversify the health care workforce by engaging students, parents, and the community to build an infrastructure that assists students in developing the skills necessary for careers in healthcare.

(2) Establishing a mentee/mentor relationship with current healthcare professionals and students, utilizing social media to communicate important messages and success stories, and holding a conference related to diversity and inclusion in healthcare professions.

(3) Early employment and support, including (i) researching and leveraging best practices, including recruitment, retention, orientation, workplace diversity, and inclusion training, (ii) identifying barriers to inclusion and retention, and (iii) proposing solutions.

(4) Healthcare leadership and succession planning, including:

(A) providing education, resources and tool kits to fully support, implement, and cultivate diversity and inclusion in Illinois health-related professions through coordination of resources from professional health care leadership organizations;

(B) developing healthy work environments, leadership training on culture, diversity, and inclusion; and

(C) obtaining workforce development concentrated on graduate and post-graduate education and succession planning.

(c) The Task Force may collaborate with policy makers, medical and specialty societies, national minority organizations, and other groups to achieve greater diversity in medicine and the health professions.

The Task Force's priorities are:

(1) Affirmative action programs should be designed to promote the entry of racial and ethnic minority students into medical school, as well as other specialized training programs for other health professions.

(2) Recruitment activities should support and advocate for the full spectrum of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity, including language, national origin, and religion within the healthcare profession. These activities should maintain the high quality of the health care workforce and encourage individuals from all backgrounds to enter careers in healthcare.

(3) Recruitment and academic preparations of underrepresented minority students should begin in elementary school and continue through the entire scope of their education and professional formation. Efforts to recruit minority students into the various health care professions should be targeted appropriately at each educational level.

(4) Financial incentives should be increased to minority students, including federal funding for diversity programs, such as Title VII funding, loan forgiveness or repayment programs, and tuition reimbursement.

(5) Enhancing diversity within the healthcare workforce will require a commitment at the highest levels. To put this commitment into practice, educational and healthcare institutions, medical organizations, and other relevant bodies should hire staff who are responsible solely for the implementation, management, and evaluation of diversity programs and who are accountable to the organizational leadership. These programs should be integrated into the organization's operations and provided with an infrastructure adequate to implement and measure the effectiveness of their activities.

(6) Institutional commitments to improve workforce diversity must include a formal program or mechanism to ensure that racial, ethnic, and cultural minority individuals rise to leadership positions at all levels.

(7) Organizations with a stake in enhancing workforce diversity should implement systems to track data and information on race, ethnicity, and other cultural attributes.

(d) Task Force members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for their expenses incurred in performing their duties. The Task Force shall meet at least quarterly and at other times as called by the chairperson.

(e) The Department of Public Health shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force.

(f) The Task Force shall prepare a report that summarizes its work and makes recommendations resulting from its study. The Task Force shall submit the report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2020 and annually thereafter.