HR1261 LRB095 20688 GRL 49063 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The medical community is united in its concern
3 over the rapid spread of drug-resistant bacteria, including
4 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); and
 
5     WHEREAS, In August of 2007, the State of Illinois passed
6 legislation requiring hospitals to screen all at-risk patients
7 for MRSA; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Leading experts on infection prevention and
9 control in the nation, including the Association for
10 Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC) and
11 the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA),
12 opposed legislation mandating active screening cultures for
13 MRSA; and
 
14     WHEREAS, A major study published in the Journal of the
15 American Medical Association (JAMA) in March of 2008 found that
16 widespread screening of patients for MRSA in a Swiss hospital
17 did not reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections and
18 was not cost effective; and
 
19     WHEREAS, A study in the March 2008 issue of the Annals of
20 Internal Medicine reported that screening all hospital
21 patients for MRSA can sharply reduce hospital-acquired

 

 

HR1261 - 2 - LRB095 20688 GRL 49063 r

1 infections; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Two research studies, published a week apart, have
3 produced contradictory findings on the merits of active
4 screening of patients for MRSA control; therefore, be it
 
5     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7 recommend a thorough and complete assessment by the Illinois
8 Department of Public Health (IDPH) in conjunction with the
9 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) into the
10 effectiveness of the Illinois screening legislation for
11 preventing the spread of MRSA in Illinois hospitals; and be it
12 further
 
13     RESOLVED, That we request the submission of a final
14 assessment to the Illinois House of Representatives on or
15 before April 30, 2009.