[ Search ] [ Legislation ] [ Bill Summary ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
90_HB3661
New Act
Creates the Hepatitis C Education, Screening, and
Treatment Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to
establish Hepatitis C education programs and identify
resources for Hepatitis C education, screening, and
treatment. Requires tracking and reporting of acute and
chronic cases of Hepatitis C by public health officials.
Requires screening of prisoners and the medically indigent.
Requires protocols for treatment of prisoners and for
education of correctional workers. Effective immediately.
LRB9010962DJbd
LRB9010962DJbd
1 AN ACT relating to Hepatitis C education, screening, and
2 treatment.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
6 Hepatitis C Education, Screening, and Treatment Act.
7 Section 5. Legislative findings; purpose.
8 (a) The General Assembly finds the following:
9 (1) Hepatitis C is classified as a "silent killer"
10 because no recognizable signs or symptoms occur until
11 severe liver damage has occurred.
12 (2) Hepatitis C has been characterized by the World
13 Health Organization as a disease of primary concern to
14 humanity.
15 (3) Studies indicate that 1.8% of the population,
16 nearly 4,000,000 Americans, carry the virus HCV, which
17 causes Hepatitis C. In Illinois as many as 300,000
18 individuals may be carriers and could develop the
19 debilitating and potentially deadly liver disease
20 associated with Hepatitis C in their lifetime. An expert
21 panel convened in March 1997 by the National Institutes
22 of Health estimates that 30,000 acute new infections
23 occur each year in the United States; 25% to 30% of those
24 are diagnosed. Current data sources indicate that 8,000
25 to 10,000 Americans die from Hepatitis C disease each
26 year.
27 (4) It has been estimated that inmates in Illinois
28 correctional facilities have Hepatitis C at rates 5 times
29 higher than the general population. Upon their release
30 from prison, these inmates present a significant health
31 risk to the general population of Illinois.
-2- LRB9010962DJbd
1 (b) The purpose of this Act is to do the following:
2 (1) Create and foster a statewide program to
3 promote public awareness of and knowledge about the risk
4 factors, the value of early detection, and the options
5 available for the treatment of Hepatitis C.
6 (2) Heighten awareness and enhance knowledge and
7 understanding of Hepatitis C by disseminating education
8 materials and information about research results,
9 services, and strategies for detection and treatment to
10 patients, health professionals, policy makers, State and
11 local heath and human services officials, and the public.
12 (3) Utilize educational and training resources and
13 services that have been developed by organizations with
14 appropriate expertise and knowledge of Hepatitis C and
15 use available technical assistance.
16 (4) Evaluate existing Hepatitis C support services
17 in the community and assess the need for improving the
18 quality and accessibility of these services.
19 (5) Provide easy access to clear, complete, and
20 accurate Hepatitis C information and patient referral
21 services.
22 Section 10. Department of Public Health; duties. In
23 addition to any other duties prescribed by this Act, the
24 Department of Public Health ("the Department") shall do the
25 following:
26 (1) Establish and promote Hepatitis C education
27 programs as an integral part of its health promotion and
28 disease prevention efforts in order to raise public
29 awareness, educate consumers, and educate and train
30 health professionals, teachers, and human service
31 providers and for other purposes.
32 (2) Identify existing resources in the area of
33 Hepatitis C education, screening, and treatment and work
-3- LRB9010962DJbd
1 to coordinate the efforts of existing organizations with
2 new programs and with each other so as to maximize
3 education and access to services.
4 Section 15. Public awareness; strategies. The Department
5 may use and coordinate the following strategies for raising
6 public awareness of the causes and nature of Hepatitis C,
7 personal risk factors, the value of prevention and early
8 detection, and options for diagnosing and treating the
9 disease:
10 (1) An outreach campaign utilizing print, radio,
11 and television public service announcements,
12 advertisements, posters, and other materials.
13 (2) Community forums.
14 (3) Health information and risk factor assessment
15 at public events.
16 (4) Targeting at-risk populations.
17 (5) Providing reliable information to policy
18 makers.
19 (6) Distributing information through county health
20 departments, schools, employer wellness programs,
21 physicians, hospitals, health maintenance organizations,
22 prisons, sports leagues, nonprofit organizations,
23 community-based organizations, and Department regional
24 offices.
25 (7) Identifying and obtaining educational
26 materials, including brochures and videotapes, that
27 translate accurately the latest scientific information on
28 Hepatitis C in easy-to-understand terms.
29 (8) Building a statewide capacity to provide
30 information and referrals on all aspects of Hepatitis C,
31 including, but not limited to, educational materials,
32 counseling, and patient support groups.
33 (9) Establishing State linkage with an existing
-4- LRB9010962DJbd
1 hotline for consumers.
2 Section 20. Education and training; guidelines. The
3 Department shall use the strategies, protocols, and
4 guidelines adopted by the National Institutes of Health on
5 Hepatitis C for educating physicians and health professionals
6 and training community service providers on the most recent
7 scientific and medical information on Hepatitis C detection,
8 diagnosis, treatment, and therapeutic decision-making.
9 Specifically, the guidelines shall include, but not be
10 limited to the following:
11 (1) Tracking and reporting of both acute and
12 chronic cases of Hepatitis C by public health officials.
13 (2) A cost-efficient plan to screen the prison
14 population and the medically indigent population in
15 Illinois.
16 (3) Protocols within the Department of Corrections
17 to enable that Department to provide appropriate
18 treatment to prisoners with Hepatitis C.
19 (4) Protocols for the education of correctional
20 peace officers and other correctional workers who work
21 with prisoners with Hepatitis C.
22 (5) Protocols for public safety and health care
23 workers who come in contact with Hepatitis C patients.
24 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
25 becoming law.