SB0715enr 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0715 Enrolled LRB095 10971 DRJ 31276 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 School Health Center Act.

Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds as follows:

(1) Asthma and oral health problems are 2 of the leading causes of absenteeism among Illinois elementary and secondary school students.

(2) Illinois youth must deal with increasing obesity, poor nutrition, substance abuse, and mental health crises.

(3) Many Illinois families lack adequate health insurance or access to health care facilities.

(4) Improving the physical and mental health of Illinois' youth is vital to building an educated workforce for Illinois' future.

(5) School health centers provide quality health care services like immunizations, physical exams, asthma care, mental health counseling, and health in schools, and national and local evaluations have found that school health centers increase access to health care, reduce absenteeism, reduce health care access disparities, and reduce unhealthy behaviors that compromise health and education success.

(6) Illinois school health centers were found to save the State an estimated $2,500,000 each year by reducing emergency room visits, $2,720,000 a year by providing immunizations, and $233,000-$342,000 a year by reducing asthma-related hospitalizations.

Section 10. Eligibility. All students in the school under the age of 18 are eligible for services if they have obtained written parental consent or if they are otherwise permitted under Illinois law to consent on their own behalf to such care. All students 18 years of age or older are eligible for the services.

Section 15. Consent. The school health center shall provide a list of the health care services available. The form shall enumerate the provided services using either a check off or other means. The consent form shall state that a parent, legal guardian, or student who is permitted under Illinois law to consent on his or her own behalf has a right to refuse any health care services.

Section 20. Department of Human Services to initiate school health centers. Subject to appropriation, the Illinois Department of Human Services shall initiate 20 new school health centers over a 5-year period beginning July 1, 2007, and shall build capacity with existing school health centers in the State of Illinois.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.