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| 1 | AN ACT concerning health.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and | ||||||
| 5 | Duties Law of the
Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is | ||||||
| 6 | amended by changing Section 2310-376 as follows:
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| 7 | (20 ILCS 2310/2310-376)
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| 8 | Sec. 2310-376. Hepatitis C education and outreach.
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| 9 | (a) The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the | ||||||
| 10 | following:
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| 11 | (1) The World Health Organization characterizes | ||||||
| 12 | Hepatitis C as a disease
of
primary concern to humanity.
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| 13 | (2) Hepatitis C is considered a silent killer; no | ||||||
| 14 | recognizable signs or
symptoms occur until severe liver | ||||||
| 15 | damage has occurred.
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| 16 | (3) Studies indicate that nearly 4 million Americans | ||||||
| 17 | (1.8 percent of the
population) carry the virus HCV that | ||||||
| 18 | causes the disease.
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| 19 | (4) 30,000 acute new infections occur each year in the | ||||||
| 20 | United States,
and
only 25 to 30 percent are diagnosed.
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| 21 | (5) 8,000 to 10,000 Americans die from the disease each | ||||||
| 22 | year.
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| 23 | (6) 200,000 Illinois residents may be carriers and | ||||||
| 24 | could develop the
debilitating and potentially deadly | ||||||
| 25 | liver disease.
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| 26 | (7) Inmates of correctional facilities have a higher | ||||||
| 27 | incidence of
Hepatitis
C and, upon their release, present a | ||||||
| 28 | significant health risk to the general
population.
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| 29 | (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall conduct | ||||||
| 30 | an education and
outreach campaign, in
addition to its overall | ||||||
| 31 | effort to prevent infectious disease in Illinois, in
order to
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| 32 | raise awareness about and promote prevention of Hepatitis C.
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| 1 | (c) The Department shall establish an Advisory Council on | ||||||
| 2 | Hepatitis to develop a Hepatitis prevention plan. The | ||||||
| 3 | Department shall specify the membership, members' terms, | ||||||
| 4 | provisions for removal of members, chairmen, and purpose of the | ||||||
| 5 | Advisory Council. The Advisory Council shall consist of one | ||||||
| 6 | representative from each of the following State agencies or | ||||||
| 7 | offices, appointed by the head of each agency or office: | ||||||
| 8 | (1) The Department of Public Health. | ||||||
| 9 | (2) The Department of Public Aid. | ||||||
| 10 | (3) The Department of Corrections. | ||||||
| 11 | (4) The Department of Veterans' Affairs. | ||||||
| 12 | (5) The Department on Aging. | ||||||
| 13 | (6) The Department of Human Services. | ||||||
| 14 | (7) The Department of State Police. | ||||||
| 15 | (8) The office of the State Fire Marshal.
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| 16 | The Director shall appoint representatives of | ||||||
| 17 | organizations and advocates in the State of Illinois, | ||||||
| 18 | including, but not limited to, the American Liver Foundation. | ||||||
| 19 | The Director shall also appoint interested members of the | ||||||
| 20 | public, including consumers and providers of health services | ||||||
| 21 | and representatives of local public health agencies, to provide | ||||||
| 22 | recommendations and information to the members of the Advisory | ||||||
| 23 | Council. Members of the Advisory Council shall serve on a | ||||||
| 24 | voluntary, unpaid basis and are not entitled to reimbursement | ||||||
| 25 | for mileage or other costs they incur in connection with | ||||||
| 26 | performing their duties.
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| 27 | (Source: P.A. 93-129, eff. 1-1-04.)
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| 28 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 29 | becoming law.
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