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91_SB1642
LRB9112686ACdvA
1 AN ACT in relation to arthritis.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Arthritis Quality of Life Initiative Act.
6 Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
7 finds and declares that:
8 (1) Arthritis is the most common, crippling, and
9 costly chronic disease in the United States; it affects
10 14.5% of the population or more than 40,000,000 Americans
11 of all ages. One in every 7 people and one in every 3
12 families are affected by the disease.
13 (2) Arthritis is the nation's number one disabling
14 disease and disables 7,000,000 Americans. It is one of
15 the most common and disabling chronic conditions reported
16 by women and far exceeds the reporting of hypertension,
17 heart disease, diabetes, and breast, cervical, and
18 ovarian cancers.
19 (3) With an aggregate cost of about 1.1% of the
20 gross national product or an estimated $64,800,000,000
21 annually in medical expenses, lost wages, and associated
22 economic losses, arthritis and other rheumatic diseases
23 have a significant economic impact on the nation.
24 (4) As the leading cause of industrial absenteeism
25 after the common cold, arthritis accounts nationally for
26 500,000,000 days of restricted activity and 27,000,000
27 days lost from work each year.
28 (5) The federal Centers for Disease Control and
29 Prevention project that by the year 2020, the incidence
30 of arthritis will increase by 59% in the State and
31 throughout the country, affecting 20% of the population.
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1 (6) Programs and services presently are available
2 that can dramatically impact on early diagnosis and
3 treatment as well as the quality of life of people with
4 arthritis.
5 (7) A mechanism for broader dissemination of these
6 programs and services aimed at prevention, information,
7 and education is needed to help reduce the physical and
8 emotional impact of arthritis and its associated health
9 care and related costs.
10 Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
11 "Arthritis" means any of the more than 130 types of
12 arthritis and rheumatic diseases.
13 "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
14 "Director" means the Director of Public Health.
15 "Initiative" means the arthritis quality of life
16 initiative established pursuant to this Act.
17 Section 15. Initiative.
18 (a) The Director shall establish an arthritis quality of
19 life initiative in the Department. The purpose of the
20 initiative is to promote (i) public awareness about
21 arthritis, (ii) options for prevention, (iii) the value of
22 early diagnosis and treatment, and (iv) the delivery of
23 programs and services aimed at prevention of complications
24 and improvement of quality of life. The Department may
25 accept, for the purpose of establishing the initiative, any
26 special grant of money, services, or property from the
27 federal government or any of its agencies or from the private
28 sector, in addition to moneys provided by the State.
29 (b) The initiative shall include the following:
30 (1) Development of a list of providers of
31 specialized services for arthritis, including a
32 cautionary statement about the current status of
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1 arthritis research, prevention, and treatment.
2 (2) A public information and outreach campaign
3 including appropriate educational material to promote
4 early diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other
5 rheumatic diseases.
6 Section 25. Reports. The Director shall report to the
7 Governor and the General Assembly no later than 18 months
8 after the effective date of this Act, and annually
9 thereafter, on the activities and accomplishments of the
10 initiative.
11 Section 30. Rules. The Department shall adopt rules
12 necessary to implement this Act.