HR1261 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1261 LRB095 20688 GRL 49063 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The medical community is united in its concern over the rapid spread of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); and

WHEREAS, In August of 2007, the State of Illinois passed legislation requiring hospitals to screen all at-risk patients for MRSA; and

WHEREAS, Leading experts on infection prevention and control in the nation, including the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), opposed legislation mandating active screening cultures for MRSA; and

WHEREAS, A major study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in March of 2008 found that widespread screening of patients for MRSA in a Swiss hospital did not reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections and was not cost effective; and

WHEREAS, A study in the March 2008 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that screening all hospital patients for MRSA can sharply reduce hospital-acquired infections; and

WHEREAS, Two research studies, published a week apart, have produced contradictory findings on the merits of active screening of patients for MRSA control; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recommend a thorough and complete assessment by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) into the effectiveness of the Illinois screening legislation for preventing the spread of MRSA in Illinois hospitals; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we request the submission of a final assessment to the Illinois House of Representatives on or before April 30, 2009.