Full Text of HR0691 101st General Assembly
HR0691 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, A Duke Divinity School survey found that only 50% | 3 | | of African Americans have
talked with family members about | 4 | | their end-of-life care, and 20% have never discussed | 5 | | end-of-life
wishes with anyone; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, It is imperative to empower our vulnerable | 7 | | communities with information so they can make better decisions | 8 | | when planning for the end of life and have candid conversations | 9 | | with
friends, family, faith leaders and medical providers about | 10 | | end-of-life care before a time of
crisis; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, A 2016 study in the Journal of Palliative Medicine | 12 | | reported that only 24% of
African Americans were likely to have | 13 | | completed advance directives, compared with 44% of
their white | 14 | | peers; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Advance healthcare directives are state-specific | 16 | | free legal documents created so an individual can choose
| 17 | | medical treatment options in case one is unable to make | 18 | | decisions because of illness or
infirmity and can appoint a | 19 | | healthcare proxy to speak on one's behalf; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, According to the National Hospice and Palliative | 21 | | Care Association, only 8%
of hospice users are African |
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| 1 | | American; hospice care is a health service that provides
| 2 | | comfort care to patients, in-home or at a facility, in their | 3 | | final phase of illness or within six
months of death; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Hospice care should be accessed as early as | 5 | | possible as there is an emphasis on
patient support and the | 6 | | entire spectrum of improved quality of life; hospice staff and
| 7 | | caregivers provide holistic care rather than a curative | 8 | | emphasis; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Palliative care is a compassionate | 10 | | interdisciplinary approach between doctors, nurses,
faith | 11 | | leaders, and other medical professionals that provides | 12 | | specialized medical and nursing care for people
with chronic | 13 | | and terminal illnesses; the ultimate goal is to improve the | 14 | | quality of life for the
patient and their support network by | 15 | | focusing on providing pain relief and physical and mental
| 16 | | stress support at any stage of illness; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, According to a 2016 study from the University of | 18 | | Iowa and the University of California,
African Americans are | 19 | | significantly less likely to be prescribed opioids for back | 20 | | pain and
abdominal pain compared to white peers, and African | 21 | | American patients are more likely to
have their pain | 22 | | underestimated and undertreated; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, According to the National Center for Health, just | 2 | | 13% of African Americans have
a living will in place compared | 3 | | with 32% of whites, and African Americans are less likely to
| 4 | | purchase long-term care insurance, term life insurance, whole | 5 | | life insurance, disability
insurance, and homeowners insurance | 6 | | or to complete estate planning; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Wills and trusts are vital components of estate | 8 | | planning and should be considered
in end-of-life discussions; | 9 | | and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, From the refusal of treatment to aggressive | 11 | | treatment
options, having an understanding of the entire | 12 | | spectrum of care options is critical in order
to make informed | 13 | | healthcare decisions; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Being equipped with treatment-option information | 15 | | and illness-specific questions
for medical professionals | 16 | | during appointments can empower our vulnerable communities to | 17 | | advocate for
themselves; therefore, be it
| 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 19 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 20 | | we must be proactive in educating, empowering, and advocating | 21 | | for those at
the end of life; and be it further |
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That we encourage charting one's end-of-life
| 2 | | journey, consistent with one's own wishes and values, and | 3 | | having those very important
discussions with loved ones; and be | 4 | | it further | 5 | | RESOLVED, That we urge Congress to enact legislation that
| 6 | | would encourage Medicare and Medicaid to take meaningful steps | 7 | | toward identifying and
educating vulnerable populations that | 8 | | are nearing the end of life; and be it further
| 9 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 10 | | delivered to the President of
the United States, the Vice | 11 | | President of the United States, members of the United States | 12 | | House
of Representatives and the United States Senate, and | 13 | | other federal and state government
officials and agencies as | 14 | | appropriate.
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