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| Public Act 101-0273 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning State government.
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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 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and | ||||
Duties Law of the
Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is | ||||
amended by adding Section 2310-213 as follows: | ||||
(20 ILCS 2310/2310-213 new) | ||||
Sec. 2310-213. Diversity in Health Care Professions Task | ||||
Force. | ||||
(a) The Diversity in Health Care Professions Task Force is | ||||
created. The Director shall serve as the chairperson and shall | ||||
appoint the following members to the Task Force, licensed to | ||||
practice in their respective fields in Illinois: | ||||
(1) 2 dentists. | ||||
(2) 2 medical doctors. | ||||
(3) 2 nurses. | ||||
(4) 2 optometrists. | ||||
(5) 2 pharmacists. | ||||
(6) 2 physician assistants. | ||||
(7) 2 podiatrists. | ||||
(8) 2 public health practitioners. | ||||
(b) The Task Force has the following objectives: | ||||
(1) Minority students pursuing medicine or healthcare | ||||
as a career option. The goal is to diversify the health | ||
care workforce by engaging students, parents, and the | ||
community to build an infrastructure that assists students | ||
in developing the skills necessary for careers in | ||
healthcare. | ||
(2) Establishing a mentee/mentor relationship with | ||
current healthcare professionals and students, utilizing | ||
social media to communicate important messages and success | ||
stories, and holding a conference related to diversity and | ||
inclusion in healthcare professions. | ||
(3) Early employment and support, including (i) | ||
researching and leveraging best practices, including | ||
recruitment, retention, orientation, workplace diversity, | ||
and inclusion training, (ii) identifying barriers to | ||
inclusion and retention, and (iii) proposing solutions. | ||
(4) Healthcare leadership and succession planning, | ||
including: | ||
(A) providing education, resources and tool kits | ||
to fully support, implement, and cultivate diversity | ||
and inclusion in Illinois health-related professions | ||
through coordination of resources from professional | ||
health care leadership organizations; | ||
(B) developing healthy work environments, | ||
leadership training on culture, diversity, and | ||
inclusion; and | ||
(C) obtaining workforce development concentrated | ||
on graduate and post-graduate education and succession | ||
planning. | ||
(c) The Task Force may collaborate with policy makers, | ||
medical and specialty societies, national minority | ||
organizations, and other groups to achieve greater diversity in | ||
medicine and the health professions. | ||
The Task Force's priorities are: | ||
(1) Affirmative action programs should be designed to | ||
promote the entry of racial and ethnic minority students | ||
into medical school, as well as other specialized training | ||
programs for other health professions. | ||
(2) Recruitment activities should support and advocate | ||
for the full spectrum of racial, ethnic, and cultural | ||
diversity, including language, national origin, and | ||
religion within the healthcare profession. These | ||
activities should maintain the high quality of the health | ||
care workforce and encourage individuals from all | ||
backgrounds to enter careers in healthcare. | ||
(3) Recruitment and academic preparations of | ||
underrepresented minority students should begin in | ||
elementary school and continue through the entire scope of | ||
their education and professional formation. Efforts to | ||
recruit minority students into the various health care | ||
professions should be targeted appropriately at each | ||
educational level. | ||
(4) Financial incentives should be increased to | ||
minority students, including federal funding for diversity | ||
programs, such as Title VII funding, loan forgiveness or | ||
repayment programs, and tuition reimbursement. | ||
(5) Enhancing diversity within the healthcare | ||
workforce will require a commitment at the highest levels. | ||
To put this commitment into practice, educational and | ||
healthcare institutions, medical organizations, and other | ||
relevant bodies should hire staff who are responsible | ||
solely for the implementation, management, and evaluation | ||
of diversity programs and who are accountable to the | ||
organizational leadership. These programs should be | ||
integrated into the organization's operations and provided | ||
with an infrastructure adequate to implement and measure | ||
the effectiveness of their activities. | ||
(6) Institutional commitments to improve workforce | ||
diversity must include a formal program or mechanism to | ||
ensure that racial, ethnic, and cultural minority | ||
individuals rise to leadership positions at all levels. | ||
(7) Organizations with a stake in enhancing workforce | ||
diversity should implement systems to track data and | ||
information on race, ethnicity, and other cultural | ||
attributes. | ||
(d) Task Force members shall serve without compensation but | ||
may be reimbursed for their expenses incurred in performing | ||
their duties. The Task Force shall meet at least quarterly and | ||
at other times as called by the chairperson. | ||
(e) The Department of Public Health shall provide | ||
administrative and other support to the Task Force. | ||
(f) The Task Force shall prepare a report that summarizes | ||
its work and makes recommendations resulting from its study. | ||
The Task Force shall submit the report of its findings and | ||
recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by | ||
December 1, 2020 and annually thereafter.
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