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Public Act 098-0796 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning public health.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||
Community Health Worker Advisory Board Act. | ||||
Section 5. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||
"Board" means the Community Health Worker Advisory Board.
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"Community health worker" means a frontline public health | ||||
worker who is a trusted member or has an unusually close | ||||
understanding of the community served. This trusting | ||||
relationship enables the community health worker to serve as a | ||||
liaison, link, and intermediary between health and social | ||||
services and the community to facilitate access to services and | ||||
improve the quality and cultural competence of service | ||||
delivery. A community health worker also builds individual and | ||||
community capacity by increasing health knowledge and | ||||
self-sufficiency through a range of activities, including | ||||
outreach, community education, informal counseling, social | ||||
support, and advocacy. Nothing in this definition shall be | ||||
construed to authorize a community health worker to provide | ||||
direct care or treatment to any person or to perform any act or | ||||
service for which a license issued by a professional licensing | ||||
board is required. |
"Department" means the Department of Public Health. | ||
Section 10. Advisory Board. | ||
(a) There is created the Advisory Board on Community Health | ||
Workers. The Board shall consist of 15 members appointed by the | ||
Director of Public Health. The Director shall make the | ||
appointments to the Board within 90 days after the effective | ||
date of this Act. The members of the Board shall represent | ||
different racial and ethnic backgrounds and have the | ||
qualifications as follows: | ||
(1) four members who currently serve as community | ||
health workers in Cook County, one of whom shall have | ||
served as a health insurance marketplace navigator; | ||
(2) two members who currently serve as community health | ||
workers in DuPage, Kane, Lake, or Will County; | ||
(3) one member who currently serves as a community | ||
health worker in Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, | ||
Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Randolph, St. Clair, or | ||
Washington County; | ||
(4) one member who currently serves as a community | ||
health worker in any other county in the State; | ||
(5) one member who is a physician licensed to practice | ||
medicine in Illinois; | ||
(6) one member who is a licensed nurse or advanced | ||
practice nurse; | ||
(7) one member who is a licensed social worker, |
counselor, or psychologist; | ||
(8) one member who currently employs community health | ||
workers; | ||
(9) one member who is a health policy advisor with | ||
experience in health workforce policy; | ||
(10) one member who is a public health professional | ||
with experience with community health policy; and | ||
(11) one representative of a community college, | ||
university, or educational institution that provides | ||
training to community health workers. | ||
(b) In addition, the following persons or their designees | ||
shall serve as ex officio, non-voting members of the Board: the | ||
Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board, the | ||
Director of Children and Family Services, the Director of | ||
Aging, the Director of Public Health, the Director of | ||
Employment Security, the Director of Commerce and Economic | ||
Opportunity, the Secretary of Financial and Professional | ||
Regulation, the Director of Healthcare and Family Services, and | ||
the Secretary of Human Services. | ||
(c) The voting members of the Board shall select a | ||
chairperson from the voting members of the Board. The Board | ||
shall consult with additional experts as needed. Members of the | ||
Board shall serve without compensation. The Department shall | ||
provide administrative and staff support to the Board. The | ||
meetings of the Board are subject to the provisions of the Open | ||
Meetings Act. |
(d) The Board shall consider the core competencies of a | ||
community health worker, including skills and areas of | ||
knowledge that are essential to bringing about expanded health | ||
and wellness in diverse communities and reducing health | ||
disparities. As relating to members of communities and health | ||
teams, the core competencies for effective community health | ||
workers may include, but are not limited to: | ||
(1) outreach methods and strategies; | ||
(2) client and community assessment; | ||
(3) effective community-based and participatory | ||
methods, including research; | ||
(4) culturally competent communication and care; | ||
(5) health education for behavior change; | ||
(6) support, advocacy, and health system navigation | ||
for clients; | ||
(7) application of public health concepts and | ||
approaches; | ||
(8) individual and community capacity building and | ||
mobilization; and | ||
(9) writing, oral, technical, and communication | ||
skills. | ||
Section 15. Report. | ||
(a) The Board shall develop a report with its | ||
recommendations regarding the certification process of | ||
community health workers. The report shall be completed no |
later than 12 months after the first meeting of the Board. The | ||
report shall be submitted to all members and ex officio members | ||
of the Board, the Governor, the President of the Senate, the | ||
Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of | ||
Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House of | ||
Representatives. The Department shall publish the report on its | ||
Internet website.
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(b) The report shall at a minimum include the following:
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(1) a summary of research regarding the best practices, | ||
curriculum, and training programs for designing a | ||
certification program in this State for community health | ||
workers, including a consideration of a multi-tiered | ||
education or training system, statewide certification, | ||
non-certification degree-based levels of certification, | ||
and the requirements for experience-based certification; | ||
(2) recommendations regarding certification and a | ||
renewal process for community health workers, and a system | ||
of approval and accreditation for curriculum and training; | ||
(3) recommendations for a proposed curriculum for | ||
community health workers that ensures the content, | ||
methodology, development, and delivery of any proposed | ||
program is appropriately based on cultural, geographic, | ||
and other specialty needs and also reflects relevant | ||
responsibilities for community health workers; and
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(4) recommendations for best practices for | ||
reimbursement options and pathways through which secure |
funding for community health workers may be obtained. | ||
(c) The Board shall advise the Department, the Governor, | ||
and the General Assembly on all matters that impact the | ||
effective work of community health workers.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||
becoming law.
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