093_HB0479eng HB0479 Engrossed LRB093 05226 DRJ 05286 b 1 AN ACT in relation to public 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 Arthritis Prevention and Control Act. 6 Section 5. Findings and purposes. 7 (a) Findings. The legislature hereby finds the 8 following: 9 (1) Arthritis encompasses more than 100 diseases 10 and conditions that affect joints, the surrounding 11 tissues, and other connective tissues. 12 (2) One of the most common family of diseases in 13 the United States, arthritis affects nearly one of every 14 6 Americans and will impact an estimated 60,000,000 15 people (almost 20% of the population) by the year 2020. 16 (3) Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in 17 the United States, limiting daily activities for more 18 than 7,000,000 citizens. 19 (4) Although prevailing myths inaccurately portray 20 arthritis as an old person's disease, arthritis is a 21 multi-generational disease that has become one of the 22 country's most pressing public health problems. 23 (5) This disease has a significant impact on 24 quality of life not only for the individual who 25 experiences its painful symptoms and resulting 26 disability, but also for family members and caregivers. 27 (6) Compounding this picture are the enormous 28 economic and social costs associated with treating 29 arthritis and its complications, which are estimated at 30 almost $80,000,000,000 annually. 31 (7) Currently, the challenge exists to ensure HB0479 Engrossed -2- LRB093 05226 DRJ 05286 b 1 delivery of effective, but often underutilized, 2 interventions that are necessary in the prevention or 3 reduction of arthritis-related pain and disability. 4 (8) Although there exists a large quantity of 5 public information and programs about arthritis, it 6 remains inadequately disseminated and insufficient in 7 addressing the needs of specific diverse populations and 8 other underserved groups. 9 (9) The Arthritis Foundation, the Centers for 10 Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association 11 of State and Territorial Health Officials have led the 12 development of a public health strategy, the National 13 Arthritis Action Plan, to respond to this challenge. 14 (10) Educating the public and health care community 15 throughout the State about this devastating disease is of 16 paramount importance and is in every respect in the 17 public interest and to the benefit of all residents of 18 this State. 19 (b) Purposes. The purposes of this Act are: 20 (1) To create and foster a statewide program that 21 promotes public awareness and increases knowledge about 22 the causes of arthritis, the importance of early 23 diagnosis and appropriate management, effective 24 prevention strategies, and pain prevention and 25 management. 26 (2) To develop knowledge and enhance understanding 27 of arthritis by disseminating educational materials and 28 information on research results, services provided, and 29 strategies for prevention and control to patients, health 30 professionals, and the public. 31 (3) To establish a solid scientific base of 32 knowledge on the prevention of arthritis and related 33 disability through surveillance, epidemiology, and 34 prevention research. HB0479 Engrossed -3- LRB093 05226 DRJ 05286 b 1 (4) To utilize educational and training resources 2 and services developed by organizations with appropriate 3 expertise and knowledge of arthritis and to use available 4 technical assistance. 5 (5) To evaluate the need for improving the quality 6 and accessibility of existing community-based arthritis 7 services. 8 (6) To heighten awareness about the prevention, 9 detection, and treatment of arthritis among State and 10 local health and human services officials, health 11 professionals and providers, and policy makers. 12 (7) To implement and coordinate State and local 13 programs and services to reduce the public health burden 14 of arthritis. 15 (8) To adequately fund these programs on a State 16 level. 17 (9) To provide lasting improvements in the delivery 18 of health care for individuals with arthritis and their 19 families, thus improving their quality of life while also 20 containing health care costs. 21 Section 10. Arthritis Prevention and Control Program. 22 (a) The Department of Public Health shall establish, 23 promote, and maintain an Arthritis Prevention and Control 24 Program to raise public awareness, educate consumers, and 25 educate and train health professionals, teachers, and human 26 services providers, and for other purposes. The program shall 27 include the following components: 28 (1) Needs assessment. The Department of Public 29 Health shall conduct a needs assessment to identify the 30 following: 31 (A) Epidemiological and other public health 32 research being conducted within the State. 33 (B) Available technical assistance and HB0479 Engrossed -4- LRB093 05226 DRJ 05286 b 1 educational materials and programs nationwide and 2 within the State. 3 (C) The level of public and professional 4 arthritis awareness. 5 (D) The needs of people with arthritis and 6 their families and caregivers. 7 (E) Educational and support service needs of 8 health care providers, including physicians, nurses, 9 managed care organizations, and other health care 10 providers. 11 (F) The services available to a person with 12 arthritis. 13 (G) The existence of arthritis treatment, 14 self-management, physical activity, and other 15 education programs. 16 (H) The existence of rehabilitation services. 17 (2) Advisory Council on Arthritis. The Department 18 of Public Health shall establish and coordinate an 19 Advisory Council on Arthritis to provide non-governmental 20 input regarding the Arthritis Prevention and Control 21 Program. Membership of the Council must include, but need 22 not be limited to, persons with arthritis, public health 23 educators, medical experts on arthritis, providers of 24 arthritis health care, persons knowledgeable in health 25 promotion and education, and representatives of national 26 arthritis organizations and their local chapters. 27 (3) Public awareness. The Department of Public 28 Health shall use, but is not limited to, strategies 29 consistent with the National Arthritis Action Plan and 30 existing State planning efforts to raise public awareness 31 and knowledge on the causes and nature of arthritis, 32 personal risk factors, the value of prevention and early 33 detection, ways to minimize preventable pain, and options 34 for diagnosing and treating the disease. HB0479 Engrossed -5- LRB093 05226 DRJ 05286 b 1 (4) Technical assistance. The Department of Public 2 Health may replicate and use successful arthritis 3 programs and enter into contracts with or purchase 4 materials or services from entities with appropriate 5 expertise for services and materials that are necessary 6 to carry out the goals of the Arthritis Prevention and 7 Control Program. The Department may enter into agreements 8 with one or more national organizations with expertise in 9 arthritis to implement parts of the Arthritis Prevention 10 and Control Program. 11 (b) The Department of Public Health shall do all of the 12 following: 13 (1) Provide sufficient staff to implement the 14 Arthritis Prevention and Control Program. 15 (2) Provide appropriate training for staff of the 16 Arthritis Prevention and Control Program. 17 (3) Identify the appropriate organizations to carry 18 out the program. 19 (4) Base the program on the most current scientific 20 information and findings. 21 (5) Work to increase and improve community-based 22 services available to people with arthritis and their 23 family members. 24 (6) Work with governmental offices, national 25 voluntary health organizations and their local chapters, 26 community and business leaders, community organizations, 27 and health care and human services providers to 28 coordinate efforts and maximize State resources in the 29 areas of prevention, education, detection, pain 30 management, and treatment of arthritis. 31 (7) Identify and, when appropriate, use 32 evidence-based arthritis programs and obtain related 33 materials and services from organizations with 34 appropriate expertise and knowledge of arthritis. HB0479 Engrossed -6- LRB093 05226 DRJ 05286 b 1 Section 15. Funding. The Department of Public Health may 2 accept grants, services, and property from the federal 3 government, foundations, organizations, medical schools, and 4 other entities that may be available for the purposes of 5 fulfilling the obligations of the Arthritis Prevention and 6 Control Program. 7 Section 20. Waivers. The Department of Public Health 8 shall seek all waivers of federal law and regulations that 9 may be necessary to maximize funds from the federal 10 government to implement the Arthritis Prevention and Control 11 Program.