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| AN ACT in relation to educational materials on hepatitis C |
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| for veterans.
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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 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and |
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| Duties Law of the
Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is |
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| amended by changing Section 2310-376 as follows:
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| (20 ILCS 2310/2310-376)
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| Sec. 2310-376. Hepatitis C education and outreach.
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| (a) The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the |
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| following:
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| (1) The World Health Organization characterizes |
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| Hepatitis C as a disease
of
primary concern to humanity.
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| (2) Hepatitis C is considered a silent killer; no |
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| recognizable signs or
symptoms occur until severe liver |
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| damage has occurred.
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| (3) Studies indicate that nearly 4 million Americans |
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| (1.8 percent of the
population) carry the virus HCV that |
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| causes the disease.
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| (4) 30,000 acute new infections occur each year in the |
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| United States,
and
only 25 to 30 percent are diagnosed.
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| (5) 8,000 to 10,000 Americans die from the disease each |
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| year.
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| (6) 200,000 Illinois residents may be carriers and |
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| could develop the
debilitating and potentially deadly |
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| liver disease.
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| (7) Inmates of correctional facilities have a higher |
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| incidence of
Hepatitis
C and, upon their release, present a |
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| significant health risk to the general
population.
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| (8) Illinois members of the armed services are subject |
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| to an increased risk of contracting Hepatitis due to their |
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| possible receipt of contaminated blood during a |
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| transfusion occurring for the treatment of wounds and due |
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| to their service in areas of the World where the disease is |
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| more prevalent and healthcare is less capable of detecting |
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| and treating the disease. Many of these service members are |
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| unaware of the danger of Hepatitis and their increased risk |
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| of contracting the disease.
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| (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall conduct |
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| an education and
outreach campaign, in
addition to its overall |
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| effort to prevent infectious disease in Illinois, in
order to
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| raise awareness about and promote prevention of Hepatitis C .
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| (c) Subject to appropriation, in addition to the education |
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| and outreach campaign provided in subsection (b), the |
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| Department shall develop and make available to physicians, |
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| other health care providers, members of the armed services, and |
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| other persons subject to an increased risk of contracting |
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| Hepatitis, educational materials, in written and electronic |
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| forms, on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the |
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| disease. These materials shall include the recommendations of |
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| the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and any |
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| other persons or entities determined by the Department to have |
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| particular expertise on Hepatitis, including the American |
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| Liver Foundation. These materials shall be written in terms |
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| that are understandable by members of the general public.
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| (d) The Department shall establish an Advisory Council on |
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| Hepatitis to develop a Hepatitis prevention plan. The |
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| Department shall specify the membership, members' terms, |
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| provisions for removal of members, chairmen, and purpose of the |
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| Advisory Council. The Advisory Council shall consist of one |
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| representative from each of the following State agencies or |
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| offices, appointed by the head of each agency or office:
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| (1) The Department of Public Health.
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| (2) The Department of Public Aid.
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| (3) The Department of Corrections.
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| (4) The Department of Veterans' Affairs.
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| (5) The Department on Aging.
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| (6) The Department of Human Services.
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| (7) The Department of State Police.
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| (8) The office of the State Fire Marshal.
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| The Director shall appoint representatives of |
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| organizations and advocates in the State of Illinois, |
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| including, but not limited to, the American Liver Foundation. |
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| The Director shall also appoint interested members of the |
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| public, including consumers and providers of health services |
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| and representatives of local public health agencies, to provide |
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| recommendations and information to the members of the Advisory |
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| Council. Members of the Advisory Council shall serve on a |
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| voluntary, unpaid basis and are not entitled to reimbursement |
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| for mileage or other costs they incur in connection with |
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| performing their duties.
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| (Source: P.A. 93-129, eff. 1-1-04.)
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
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| becoming law.
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