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Public Act 098-0796
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| HB5412 Enrolled | LRB098 19365 RPM 54518 b |
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AN ACT concerning public health.
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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 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the |
Community Health Worker Advisory Board Act.
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Section 5. Definitions. In this Act: |
"Board" means the Community Health Worker Advisory Board.
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"Community health worker" means a frontline public health |
worker who is a trusted member or has an unusually close |
understanding of the community served. This trusting |
relationship enables the community health worker to serve as a |
liaison, link, and intermediary between health and social |
services and the community to facilitate access to services and |
improve the quality and cultural competence of service |
delivery. A community health worker also builds individual and |
community capacity by increasing health knowledge and |
self-sufficiency through a range of activities, including |
outreach, community education, informal counseling, social |
support, and advocacy. Nothing in this definition shall be |
construed to authorize a community health worker to provide |
direct care or treatment to any person or to perform any act or |
service for which a license issued by a professional licensing |
board is required. |
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"Department" means the Department of Public Health.
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Section 10. Advisory Board. |
(a) There is created the Advisory Board on Community Health |
Workers. The Board shall consist of 15 members appointed by the |
Director of Public Health. The Director shall make the |
appointments to the Board within 90 days after the effective |
date of this Act. The members of the Board shall represent |
different racial and ethnic backgrounds and have the |
qualifications as follows: |
(1) four members who currently serve as community |
health workers in Cook County, one of whom shall have |
served as a health insurance marketplace navigator; |
(2) two members who currently serve as community health |
workers in DuPage, Kane, Lake, or Will County; |
(3) one member who currently serves as a community |
health worker in Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, |
Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Randolph, St. Clair, or |
Washington County; |
(4) one member who currently serves as a community |
health worker in any other county in the State; |
(5) one member who is a physician licensed to practice |
medicine in Illinois; |
(6) one member who is a licensed nurse or advanced |
practice nurse; |
(7) one member who is a licensed social worker, |
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counselor, or psychologist; |
(8) one member who currently employs community health |
workers; |
(9) one member who is a health policy advisor with |
experience in health workforce policy; |
(10) one member who is a public health professional |
with experience with community health policy; and |
(11) one representative of a community college, |
university, or educational institution that provides |
training to community health workers. |
(b) In addition, the following persons or their designees |
shall serve as ex officio, non-voting members of the Board: the |
Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board, the |
Director of Children and Family Services, the Director of |
Aging, the Director of Public Health, the Director of |
Employment Security, the Director of Commerce and Economic |
Opportunity, the Secretary of Financial and Professional |
Regulation, the Director of Healthcare and Family Services, and |
the Secretary of Human Services. |
(c) The voting members of the Board shall select a |
chairperson from the voting members of the Board. The Board |
shall consult with additional experts as needed. Members of the |
Board shall serve without compensation. The Department shall |
provide administrative and staff support to the Board. The |
meetings of the Board are subject to the provisions of the Open |
Meetings Act. |
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(d) The Board shall consider the core competencies of a |
community health worker, including skills and areas of |
knowledge that are essential to bringing about expanded health |
and wellness in diverse communities and reducing health |
disparities. As relating to members of communities and health |
teams, the core competencies for effective community health |
workers may include, but are not limited to: |
(1) outreach methods and strategies; |
(2) client and community assessment; |
(3) effective community-based and participatory |
methods, including research; |
(4) culturally competent communication and care; |
(5) health education for behavior change; |
(6) support, advocacy, and health system navigation |
for clients; |
(7) application of public health concepts and |
approaches; |
(8) individual and community capacity building and |
mobilization; and |
(9) writing, oral, technical, and communication |
skills.
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Section 15. Report. |
(a) The Board shall develop a report with its |
recommendations regarding the certification process of |
community health workers. The report shall be completed no |
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later than 12 months after the first meeting of the Board. The |
report shall be submitted to all members and ex officio members |
of the Board, the Governor, the President of the Senate, the |
Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of |
Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House of |
Representatives. The Department shall publish the report on its |
Internet website.
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(b) The report shall at a minimum include the following:
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(1) a summary of research regarding the best practices, |
curriculum, and training programs for designing a |
certification program in this State for community health |
workers, including a consideration of a multi-tiered |
education or training system, statewide certification, |
non-certification degree-based levels of certification, |
and the requirements for experience-based certification; |
(2) recommendations regarding certification and a |
renewal process for community health workers, and a system |
of approval and accreditation for curriculum and training; |
(3) recommendations for a proposed curriculum for |
community health workers that ensures the content, |
methodology, development, and delivery of any proposed |
program is appropriately based on cultural, geographic, |
and other specialty needs and also reflects relevant |
responsibilities for community health workers; and
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(4) recommendations for best practices for |
reimbursement options and pathways through which secure |