Public Act 101-0107
 
HB3247 EnrolledLRB101 10583 CPF 55689 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 
Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Act.
 
    Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds the 
following:
        (1) Parkinson's disease is a debilitating, painful, 
    and incurable neurological disorder of unknown origin that 
    disrupts and can end the lives of those who suffer from it.
        (2) Parkinson's disease causes diverse symptoms, 
    including rigidity, slowness of movement, poor balance, 
    and tremors, which lead to an impaired ability to walk, 
    speak, swallow, and even breathe, so that the end result 
    can be a clear mind trapped inside a body that has lost its 
    ability to function.
        (3) The visible symptoms of Parkinson's disease are 
    often mistaken to be a normal part of the aging process.
        (4) In addition, many people with the disease encounter 
    precarious legal and personal situations in which they are 
    erroneously thought to be under the influence of illegal or 
    prescription drugs or alcohol due to their movement and 
    gait patterns.
        (5) Parkinson's disease takes an enormous emotional, 
    psychological, and physical toll on caregivers and 
    families, potentially overwhelming their lives.
        (6) It has been estimated that 1,500,000  Americans have 
    been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, 50,000 more are 
    diagnosed nationally each year, and another 1,500,000 
    persons have the disease but have never seen a neurologist.
        (7) Parkinson's disease costs Americans 
    $25,000,000,000 per year, including medical treatments, 
    disability payments, and lost productivity.
        (8) Medications can only control some of the symptoms 
    of the disease and only for uncertain periods of time.
        (9) The federal Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease 
    Research Act of 1997 provides federal funding through the 
    National Institutes of Health for Parkinson's disease, and 
    April 11 has been proclaimed to be World Parkinson's Day in 
    order to recognize the need for more research and help in 
    dealing with the devastating effects of this disease.
        (10) Increased public awareness and education are 
    needed among health care, social services, judicial, law 
    enforcement, and emergency medical services personnel in 
    order to better respond to the needs of Parkinson's disease 
    patients and their caregivers and families.
        (11) It is imperative for Illinois to commit itself to 
    actively support such public awareness and education 
    efforts throughout the State in order to better meet the 
    needs of its citizens who are suffering from Parkinson's 
    disease.
 
    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
    "Director" means the Director of Public Health.
    "Program" means the Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness 
and Education Program established under this Act.

 
    Section 15. Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and 
Education Program. 
    (a) Subject to appropriation, the Director shall establish 
a Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Program.
    (b) The purpose of the Program is to promote public 
awareness of Parkinson's disease and the value of early 
detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and 
risks of those treatments.  The Department may accept for that 
purpose any special grant of moneys, services, or property from 
the federal government or any of its agencies, or from any 
foundation, organization, or medical school.
    (c) The Program shall include the following:
        (1) Development of a public education and outreach 
    campaign to promote Parkinson's disease awareness and 
    education, including, but not limited to, the following 
    subjects:
            (A) the cause and nature of the disease;
            (B) diagnostic procedures and appropriate 
        indications for their use;
            (C) lifestyle issues relating to how a person copes 
        with Parkinson's disease, including, but not limited 
        to, nutrition, diet, and physical exercise;
            (D) environmental safety and injury prevention; 
        and
            (E) availability of Parkinson's disease diagnostic 
        and treatment services in the community.
        (2) Development of educational materials to be made 
    available to consumers through local physicians, 
    hospitals, clinics, and boards of health.
        (3) Development of professional education programs for 
    health care providers to assist them in understanding 
    research findings and the subjects set forth in paragraph 
    (1) of this subsection.
        (4) Development of educational programs for other 
    personnel, including judicial staff, police officers, fire 
    fighters, and social services and emergency medical 
    service providers, to assist them in recognizing the 
    symptoms of Parkinson's disease and understanding how to 
    respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the 
    course of performing their duties, including dissemination 
    of the informational booklet prepared under Section 20 of 
    this Act.
        (5) Development and maintenance of a list of current 
    providers of specialized services for the diagnosis and 
    treatment of Parkinson's disease.  Dissemination of the 
    list shall be accompanied by a description of diagnostic 
    procedures, appropriate indications for their use, and a 
    cautionary statement about the current status of 
    Parkinson's disease research and treatment.  The statement 
    shall also indicate that the Department does not endorse 
    specific Parkinson's disease programs or centers in this 
    State.
 
    Section 20. Informational booklet.
    (a) The Department, in consultation with the Midwest 
Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association, any 
public or private university medical school that the Director 
deems useful, including, but not limited to, Loyola Medical 
School, and the Department on Aging, shall prepare an 
informational booklet in English, Spanish, and Mandarin that 
provides, in a manner easily understandable by a patient or 
other non-health care professional, information about the 
symptoms and treatment of Parkinson's disease.  The booklet may 
contain any other information that the Department deems 
necessary and may be revised by the Department whenever new 
information about Parkinson's disease becomes available.
    (b) The Department shall make a supply of the booklets 
available to all licensed health care facilities engaged in the 
diagnosis or treatment of Parkinson's disease and to those 
personnel described in paragraph (4) of subsection (c) of 
Section 15 of this Act, as well as to health care 
professionals, community health centers, and members of the 
public upon their request.  The Department shall publicize and 
make available the booklet to the maximum extent possible, and 
shall make available electronically on its website in English 
and Spanish the information contained in the booklet.
 
    Section 25. Rules. The Director shall adopt rules to 
effectuate the purposes of this Act.