Public Act 095-0109
 
HB1643 Enrolled LRB095 10030 KBJ 30244 b

    AN ACT concerning public health.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Suicide Prevention, Education, and
Treatment Act is amended by changing Sections 10, 13, 15, 20,
25, and 30 as follows:
 
    (410 ILCS 53/10)
    Sec. 10. Definitions. For the purpose of this Act, unless
the context otherwise requires:
    "Alliance" means the Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance.
    "Committee" means the Illinois Suicide Prevention
Strategic Planning Committee.
    "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
    "Plan" means the Illinois Suicide Prevention Strategic
Plan set forth in Section 15.
(Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
    (410 ILCS 53/13)
    Sec. 13. Duration; report. All projects set forth in this
Act must be at least 3 years in duration, and the Department
and related contracts as well as the Illinois Suicide
Prevention Alliance Suicide Prevention Strategic Planning
Committee must report annually to the Governor and General
Assembly on the effectiveness of these activities and programs.
(Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
    (410 ILCS 53/15)
    Sec. 15. Suicide Prevention Alliance Strategic Planning
Committee.
    (a) The Alliance Committee is created as the official
grassroots creator, planner, monitor, and advocate for the
Illinois Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan. No later than one
year after the effective date of this Act, the Alliance
Committee shall review, finalize, and submit to the Governor
and the General Assembly the Illinois Suicide Prevention
Strategic Plan and appropriate processes and outcome
objectives for 10 overriding recommendations and a timeline for
reaching these objectives.
    (b) The Alliance Committee shall use the United States
Surgeon General's National Suicide Prevention Strategy as a
model for the Plan. The Alliance Committee shall review the
statutorily prescribed missions of major State mental health,
health, aging, and school mental health programs and recommend,
as necessary and appropriate, statutory changes to include
suicide prevention in the missions and procedures of those
programs. The Alliance Committee shall prepare a report of that
review, including its recommendations, and shall submit the
report to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 31,
2004.
    (c) The Director of Public Health shall appoint the members
of the Alliance Committee. The membership of the Alliance
Committee shall include, without limitation, representatives
of statewide organizations and other agencies that focus on the
prevention of suicide and the improvement of mental health
treatment or that provide suicide prevention or survivor
support services. Other disciplines that shall be considered
for membership on the Alliance committee include law
enforcement, first responders, faith-based community leaders,
universities, and survivors of suicide (families and friends
who have lost persons to suicide) as well as consumers of
services of these agencies and organizations.
    (d) The Alliance committee shall meet at least 4 times a
year, and more as deemed necessary, in various sites statewide
in order to foster as much participation as possible. The
Alliance Committee, a steering committee, and core members of
the full committee shall monitor and guide the definition and
direction of the goals of the full Alliance Committee, shall
review and approve productions of the plan, and shall meet
before the full Alliance Committee meetings.
(Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
    (410 ILCS 53/20)
    Sec. 20. General awareness and screening program.
    (a) The Department shall provide technical assistance for
the work of the Alliance Committee and the production of the
Plan and shall distribute general information and screening
tools for suicide prevention to the general public through
local public health departments throughout the State. These
materials shall be distributed to agencies, schools,
hospitals, churches, places of employment, and all related
professional caregivers to educate all citizens about warning
signs and interventions that all persons can do to stop the
suicidal cycle.
    (b) This program shall include, without limitation, all of
the following:
        (1) Educational programs about warning signs and how to
    help suicidal individuals.
        (2) Educational presentations about suicide risk and
    how to help at-risk people in special populations and with
    bilingual support to special cultures.
        (3) The designation of an annual suicide awareness week
    or month to include a public awareness campaign on suicide.
        (4) A statewide suicide prevention conference before
    November of 2004.
        (5) An Illinois Suicide Prevention Speaker's Bureau.
        (6) A program to educate the media regarding the
    guidelines developed by the American Association for
    Suicidology for coverage of suicides and to encourage media
    cooperation in adopting these guidelines in reporting
    suicides.
        (7) Increased training opportunities for volunteers,
    professionals, and other caregivers to develop specific
    skills for assessing suicide risk and intervening to
    prevent suicide.
(Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
    (410 ILCS 53/25)
    Sec. 25. Additional duties of the Alliance Committee. The
Alliance Committee shall:
        (1) Act as an advisor and lead consultant on the
    design, implementation, and evaluation of all programs
    outlined in this Act.
        (2) Establish interagency policy and procedures among
    appropriate agencies for the collaboration and
    coordination needed to implement the programs outlined in
    this Act.
        (3) Design, review, select, and monitor proposals for
    the implementation of these activities in agencies
    throughout the State.
(Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
    (410 ILCS 53/30)
    Sec. 30. Suicide prevention pilot programs.
    (a) The Department shall establish, when funds are
appropriated, up to 5 pilot programs that provide training and
direct service programs relating to youth, elderly, special
populations, high-risk populations, and professional
caregivers. The purpose of these pilot programs is to
demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of the projects set
forth in this Act in the communities in which they are offered.
The pilot programs shall be operational for at least 2 years of
the 3-year requirement set forth in Section 13.
    (b) The Director of Public Health is encouraged to ensure
that the pilot programs include the following prevention
strategies:
        (1) school gatekeeper and faculty training;
        (2) community gatekeeper training;
        (3) general community suicide prevention education;
        (4) health providers and physician training and
    consultation about high-risk cases;
        (5) depression, anxiety, and suicide screening
    programs;
        (6) peer support youth and older adult programs;
        (7) the enhancement of 24-hour crisis centers,
    hotlines, and person-to-person calling trees;
        (8) means restriction advocacy and collaboration; and
        (9) intervening and supporting after a suicide.
    (c) The funds appropriated for purposes of this Section
shall be allocated by the Department on a competitive,
grant-submission basis, which shall include consideration of
different rates of risk of suicide based on age, ethnicity,
gender, prevalence of mental health disorders, different rates
of suicide based on geographic areas in Illinois, and the
services and curriculum offered to fit these needs by the
applying agency.
    (d) The Department and Alliance Committee shall prepare a
report as to the effectiveness of the demonstration projects
established pursuant to this Section and submit that report no
later than 6 months after the projects are completed to the
Governor and General Assembly.
(Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)