093_HB0479
LRB093 05226 DRJ 05286 b
1 AN ACT in relation to public health.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Arthritis Prevention and Control Act.
6 Section 5. Findings and purposes.
7 (a) Findings. The legislature hereby finds the
8 following:
9 (1) Arthritis encompasses more than 100 diseases
10 and conditions that affect joints, the surrounding
11 tissues, and other connective tissues.
12 (2) One of the most common family of diseases in
13 the United States, arthritis affects nearly one of every
14 6 Americans and will impact an estimated 60,000,000
15 people (almost 20% of the population) by the year 2020.
16 (3) Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in
17 the United States, limiting daily activities for more
18 than 7,000,000 citizens.
19 (4) Although prevailing myths inaccurately portray
20 arthritis as an old person's disease, arthritis is a
21 multi-generational disease that has become one of the
22 country's most pressing public health problems.
23 (5) This disease has a significant impact on
24 quality of life not only for the individual who
25 experiences its painful symptoms and resulting
26 disability, but also for family members and caregivers.
27 (6) Compounding this picture are the enormous
28 economic and social costs associated with treating
29 arthritis and its complications, which are estimated at
30 almost $80,000,000,000 annually.
31 (7) Currently, the challenge exists to ensure
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1 delivery of effective, but often underutilized,
2 interventions that are necessary in the prevention or
3 reduction of arthritis-related pain and disability.
4 (8) Although there exists a large quantity of
5 public information and programs about arthritis, it
6 remains inadequately disseminated and insufficient in
7 addressing the needs of specific diverse populations and
8 other underserved groups.
9 (9) The Arthritis Foundation, the Centers for
10 Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association
11 of State and Territorial Health Officials have led the
12 development of a public health strategy, the National
13 Arthritis Action Plan, to respond to this challenge.
14 (10) Educating the public and health care community
15 throughout the State about this devastating disease is of
16 paramount importance and is in every respect in the
17 public interest and to the benefit of all residents of
18 this State.
19 (b) Purposes. The purposes of this Act are:
20 (1) To create and foster a statewide program that
21 promotes public awareness and increases knowledge about
22 the causes of arthritis, the importance of early
23 diagnosis and appropriate management, effective
24 prevention strategies, and pain prevention and
25 management.
26 (2) To develop knowledge and enhance understanding
27 of arthritis by disseminating educational materials and
28 information on research results, services provided, and
29 strategies for prevention and control to patients, health
30 professionals, and the public.
31 (3) To establish a solid scientific base of
32 knowledge on the prevention of arthritis and related
33 disability through surveillance, epidemiology, and
34 prevention research.
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1 (4) To utilize educational and training resources
2 and services developed by organizations with appropriate
3 expertise and knowledge of arthritis and to use available
4 technical assistance.
5 (5) To evaluate the need for improving the quality
6 and accessibility of existing community-based arthritis
7 services.
8 (6) To heighten awareness about the prevention,
9 detection, and treatment of arthritis among State and
10 local health and human services officials, health
11 professionals and providers, and policy makers.
12 (7) To implement and coordinate State and local
13 programs and services to reduce the public health burden
14 of arthritis.
15 (8) To adequately fund these programs on a State
16 level.
17 (9) To provide lasting improvements in the delivery
18 of health care for individuals with arthritis and their
19 families, thus improving their quality of life while also
20 containing health care costs.
21 Section 10. Arthritis Prevention and Control Program.
22 (a) The Department of Public Health shall establish,
23 promote, and maintain an Arthritis Prevention and Control
24 Program to raise public awareness, educate consumers, and
25 educate and train health professionals, teachers, and human
26 services providers, and for other purposes. The program shall
27 include the following components:
28 (1) Needs assessment. The Department of Public
29 Health shall conduct a needs assessment to identify the
30 following:
31 (A) Epidemiological and other public health
32 research being conducted within the State.
33 (B) Available technical assistance and
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1 educational materials and programs nationwide and
2 within the State.
3 (C) The level of public and professional
4 arthritis awareness.
5 (D) The needs of people with arthritis and
6 their families and caregivers.
7 (E) Educational and support service needs of
8 health care providers, including physicians, nurses,
9 managed care organizations, and other health care
10 providers.
11 (F) The services available to a person with
12 arthritis.
13 (G) The existence of arthritis treatment,
14 self-management, physical activity, and other
15 education programs.
16 (H) The existence of rehabilitation services.
17 (2) Advisory Council on Arthritis. The Department
18 of Public Health shall establish and coordinate an
19 Advisory Council on Arthritis to provide non-governmental
20 input regarding the Arthritis Prevention and Control
21 Program. Membership of the Council must include, but need
22 not be limited to, persons with arthritis, public health
23 educators, medical experts on arthritis, providers of
24 arthritis health care, persons knowledgeable in health
25 promotion and education, and representatives of national
26 arthritis organizations and their local chapters.
27 (3) Public awareness. The Department of Public
28 Health shall use, but is not limited to, strategies
29 consistent with the National Arthritis Action Plan and
30 existing State planning efforts to raise public awareness
31 and knowledge on the causes and nature of arthritis,
32 personal risk factors, the value of prevention and early
33 detection, ways to minimize preventable pain, and options
34 for diagnosing and treating the disease.
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1 (4) Technical assistance. The Department of Public
2 Health may replicate and use successful arthritis
3 programs and enter into contracts with or purchase
4 materials or services from entities with appropriate
5 expertise for services and materials that are necessary
6 to carry out the goals of the Arthritis Prevention and
7 Control Program. The Department may enter into agreements
8 with one or more national organizations with expertise in
9 arthritis to implement parts of the Arthritis Prevention
10 and Control Program.
11 (b) The Department of Public Health shall do all of the
12 following:
13 (1) Provide sufficient staff to implement the
14 Arthritis Prevention and Control Program.
15 (2) Provide appropriate training for staff of the
16 Arthritis Prevention and Control Program.
17 (3) Identify the appropriate organizations to carry
18 out the program.
19 (4) Base the program on the most current scientific
20 information and findings.
21 (5) Work to increase and improve community-based
22 services available to people with arthritis and their
23 family members.
24 (6) Work with governmental offices, national
25 voluntary health organizations and their local chapters,
26 community and business leaders, community organizations,
27 and health care and human services providers to
28 coordinate efforts and maximize State resources in the
29 areas of prevention, education, detection, pain
30 management, and treatment of arthritis.
31 (7) Identify and, when appropriate, use
32 evidence-based arthritis programs and obtain related
33 materials and services from organizations with
34 appropriate expertise and knowledge of arthritis.
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1 Section 15. Funding. The Department of Public Health may
2 accept grants, services, and property from the federal
3 government, foundations, organizations, medical schools, and
4 other entities that may be available for the purposes of
5 fulfilling the obligations of the Arthritis Prevention and
6 Control Program.
7 Section 20. Waivers. The Department of Public Health
8 shall seek all waivers of federal law and regulations that
9 may be necessary to maximize funds from the federal
10 government to implement the Arthritis Prevention and Control
11 Program.