[ Search ] [ PDF text ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
| [ Introduced ] | [ House Amendment 001 ] |
92_HB3267eng HB3267 Engrossed LRB9204544DJgc 1 AN ACT in relation to health. 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 Hepatitis C Public Awareness Act. 6 Section 5. Findings; intent. 7 (a) The General Assembly finds and declares all of the 8 following: 9 (1) Hepatitis C is classified as a silent killer, 10 where 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 that 17 causes hepatitis C. In Illinois, as many as 200,000 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 by the National Institutes of Health, 22 estimated that 30,000 acute new infections occur each 23 year in the United States, and only 25 to 30 percent of 24 those are diagnosed. Current data sources indicate that 25 8,000 to 10,000 Americans die from hepatitis C each year. 26 (4) Studies also indicate that inmates in 27 correctional facilities have a higher incidence of 28 hepatitis C than the general population. Upon their 29 release from prison, these inmates present a significant 30 health risk to the general population. 31 (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly to study the HB3267 Engrossed -2- LRB9204544DJgc 1 adequacy of the health care delivery system as it pertains to 2 hepatitis C. 3 (c) It is the intent of the General Assembly to urge the 4 Department of Public Health to make moneys available to 5 community-based not-for-profit organizations for education 6 and outreach with respect to the hepatitis C virus. 7 Section 10. Public education and outreach. 8 (a) The Director of Public Health shall develop and 9 implement a public education and outreach program to raise 10 awareness of the hepatitis C virus. The program shall be 11 aimed at high-risk groups, physicians' offices, health care 12 workers, and health care facilities. The program shall do 13 all of the following: 14 (1) Attempt to coordinate with national public 15 education efforts related to the identification and 16 notification of recipients of blood from 17 hepatitis-C-virus-positive donors. 18 (2) Attempt to stimulate interest in and coordinate 19 with community-based organizations to sponsor community 20 forums, and undertake other appropriate community 21 outreach activities. 22 (3) Employ public communication strategies utilizing 23 a variety of media that may include, but need not be 24 limited to, print, radio, television, and the Internet. 25 (b) The Director of Public Health shall include 26 information on co-infection of human immunodeficiency virus 27 (HIV) or hemophilia with the hepatitis C virus in the 28 professional training and all appropriate care and treatment 29 programs under the jurisdiction of the Department. 30 (c) The Director of Public Health shall develop a program 31 to work with the Department of Corrections to identify 32 hepatitis-C-virus-positive inmates likely to be released 33 within 2 years and provide counseling and treatment options HB3267 Engrossed -3- LRB9204544DJgc 1 to reduce the community risk. 2 (d) The Director of Public Health shall urge local public 3 health officials to make hepatitis C virus screening 4 available for uninsured individuals upon request. 5 (e) The Director of Public Health shall include hepatitis 6 C counseling, education, and testing, as appropriate, in 7 local State-funded programs, including those addressing HIV, 8 tuberculosis, sexually transmitted disease, and all other 9 appropriate programs approved by the Director. 10 Section 15. Health professionals and community service 11 providers. 12 (a) The Department of Public Health shall make protocols 13 and guidelines on hepatitis C developed by the National 14 Institutes of Health available for educating physicians and 15 health professionals and training community service providers 16 on the most recent scientific and medical information on 17 hepatitis C detection, transmission, diagnosis, treatment, 18 and therapeutic decision making. 19 (b) The guidelines may include, but need not be limited 20 to, the following: 21 (1) Tracking and reporting of both acute and chronic 22 cases of hepatitis C by public health officials. 23 (2) A cost-efficient plan to screen the prison 24 population and the medically indigent population. 25 (3) Protocols within the Department of Corrections 26 to enable that Department to provide appropriate 27 prevention and treatment to prisoners with hepatitis C. 28 (4) Protocols for the education of correctional 29 peace officers and other correctional workers who work 30 with prisoners with hepatitis C. 31 (5) Protocols for public safety and health care 32 workers who come into contact with hepatitis C patients. 33 (6) Surveillance programs to determine the HB3267 Engrossed -4- LRB9204544DJgc 1 prevalence of hepatitis C in ethnic and other high-risk 2 populations. 3 (7) Education and outreach programs for high-risk 4 individuals, including, but not limited to, individuals 5 who received blood transfusions before 1992, 6 hemophiliacs, women who underwent a caesarian section or 7 premature delivery before 1990, persons who received an 8 organ transplant before 1990, persons who receive 9 invasive cosmetic procedures, including body piercing and 10 tattooing, students, minority communities, and any other 11 categories of persons at high risk for hepatitis C 12 infection as determined by the Director of Public Health. 13 Education and outreach programs shall be targeted to 14 high-risk individuals as determined by the Director. 15 Education programs may provide information and referrals 16 on hepatitis C, including, but not limited to, education 17 materials developed by health-related companies or 18 community-based or national advocacy organizations, and 19 referrals to advocacy organizations, counseling or 20 patient support groups, and existing hotlines for 21 consumers. 22 (c) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to require 23 the Department of Public Health to develop or produce any 24 protocol, guideline, or proposal. 25 Section 20. Corrections. The Director of Corrections 26 shall do all of the following: 27 (1) On or before March 1, 2002, provide the 28 Department of Public Health with an annual statistical 29 report on the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus in 30 correctional facilities in this State and trends in the 31 incidence and prevalence of the hepatitis C virus in the 32 correctional system. 33 (2) Establish and make available a voluntary program HB3267 Engrossed -5- LRB9204544DJgc 1 to test inmates for the presence of the hepatitis C virus 2 upon incarceration and in conjunction with any routine 3 blood testing. 4 (3) Update treatment protocols and regimens as new 5 therapies become available.