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1 | AN ACT concerning public health.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Illinois Rural/Downstate Health Act is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | amended by changing Section 4 as follows:
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6 | (410 ILCS 65/4) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8054)
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7 | Sec. 4. The Center shall have the authority:
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8 | (a) To assist rural communities and communities in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | designated shortage
areas by providing technical assistance to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | community leaders in defining
their specific health care needs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | and identifying strategies to address
those needs.
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12 | (b) To link rural communities and communities in designated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | shortage
areas with other units in the Department or other | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | State agencies which can
assist in the solution of a health | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | care access problem.
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16 | (c) To maintain and disseminate information on innovative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | health care
strategies, either directly or indirectly.
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18 | (d) To administer State or federal grant programs relating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | to rural
health or medically underserved areas established by | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | State or federal
law for which funding has been made available.
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21 | (e) To promote the development of primary care services in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | rural areas
and designated shortage areas. Subject to available | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | appropriations, the
Department may annually award grants of up |
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1 | to $300,000 each to enable the
health services in those areas | ||||||
2 | to offer multi-service comprehensive
ambulatory care, thereby | ||||||
3 | improving access to primary care services.
Grants may cover | ||||||
4 | operational and facility construction and renovation
expenses, | ||||||
5 | including but not limited to the cost of personnel, medical
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6 | supplies and equipment, patient transportation, and health | ||||||
7 | provider
recruitment. The Department shall prescribe by rule | ||||||
8 | standards and
procedures for the provision of local matching | ||||||
9 | funds in relation to each
grant application. Grants provided | ||||||
10 | under this paragraph (e) shall be in
addition to support and | ||||||
11 | assistance provided under subsection (a) of Section
2310-200 of | ||||||
12 | the
Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law (20 ILCS
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13 | 2310/2310-200). Eligible
applicants
shall include,
but not be | ||||||
14 | limited to, community-based organizations, hospitals, local
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15 | health departments, and Community Health Centers as defined in | ||||||
16 | Section 4.1
of this Act.
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17 | (f) To annually
provide grants from available | ||||||
18 | appropriations to hospitals located in
medically underserved | ||||||
19 | areas or health manpower shortage areas as defined by
the | ||||||
20 | United States Department of Health and Human Services, whose | ||||||
21 | governing
boards include significant representation of | ||||||
22 | consumers of hospital services
residing in the area served by | ||||||
23 | the hospital, and which agree not to
discriminate in any way | ||||||
24 | against any consumer of hospital services based
upon the | ||||||
25 | consumer's source of payment for those services. Grants that | ||||||
26 | may
be awarded under this paragraph (f) shall be limited to |
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1 | $500,000 and shall
not exceed 50% of the total project need | ||||||
2 | indicated in each application.
Expenses covered by the grants | ||||||
3 | may include but are not limited to facility
renovation, | ||||||
4 | equipment acquisition and maintenance, recruitment of health
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5 | personnel, diversification of services, and joint venture | ||||||
6 | arrangements.
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7 | (g) To establish a recruitment center which shall actively | ||||||
8 | recruit
physicians and other health care practitioners to | ||||||
9 | participate in the
program, maintain contacts with | ||||||
10 | participating practitioners, actively
promote health care | ||||||
11 | professional practice in designated shortage areas,
assist in | ||||||
12 | matching the skills of participating medical students with the
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13 | needs of community health centers in designated shortage areas, | ||||||
14 | and assist
participating medical students in locating in | ||||||
15 | designated shortage areas.
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16 | (h) To assist communities in designated shortage areas find | ||||||
17 | alternative
services or temporary health care providers when | ||||||
18 | existing health care
providers are called into active duty with | ||||||
19 | the armed forces of the United
States.
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20 | (i) To develop, in cooperation with the Illinois Finance
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21 | Authority, financing programs whose goals and purposes shall be | ||||||
22 | to provide
moneys to carry out the purpose of this Act, | ||||||
23 | including, but not limited to,
revenue bond programs, revolving | ||||||
24 | loan programs, equipment leasing programs, and
working cash | ||||||
25 | programs. The Department may transfer to the Illinois
Finance | ||||||
26 | Authority, into an account outside of the State treasury, |
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1 | moneys in
special funds of the Department for the purposes of | ||||||
2 | establishing those
programs. The disposition of any moneys so | ||||||
3 | transferred shall be determined by
an interagency agreement.
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4 | (j) To assist communities in rural and designated shortage | ||||||
5 | areas by improving access to mental health services by | ||||||
6 | soliciting and awarding related grant proposals under this | ||||||
7 | Section, in cooperation with the Department of Human Services.
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8 | (Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 93-205, eff. 1-1-04.)
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