(410 ILCS 65/4) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8054)
Sec. 4.
The Center shall have the authority:
(a) To assist rural communities and communities in designated shortage
areas by providing technical assistance to community leaders in defining
their specific health care needs and identifying strategies to address
those needs.
(b) To link rural communities and communities in designated shortage
areas with other units in the Department or other State agencies which can
assist in the solution of a health care access problem.
(c) To maintain and disseminate information on innovative health care
strategies, either directly or indirectly.
(d) To administer State or federal grant programs relating to rural
health or medically underserved areas established by State or federal
law for which funding has been made available.
(e) To promote the development of primary care services in rural areas
and designated shortage areas. Subject to available appropriations, the
Department may annually award grants of up to $300,000 each to enable the
health services in those areas to offer multi-service comprehensive
ambulatory care, thereby improving access to primary care services.
Grants may cover operational and facility construction and renovation
expenses, including but not limited to the cost of personnel, medical
supplies and equipment, patient transportation, and health provider
recruitment. The Department shall prescribe by rule standards and
procedures for the provision of local matching funds in relation to each
grant application. Grants provided under this paragraph (e) shall be in
addition to support and assistance provided under subsection (a) of Section
2310-200 of the
Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law (20 ILCS
2310/2310-200). Eligible
applicants
shall include,
but not be limited to, community-based organizations, hospitals, local
health departments, and Community Health Centers as defined in Section 4.1
of this Act.
(f) To annually
provide grants from available appropriations to hospitals located in
medically underserved areas or health manpower shortage areas as defined by
the United States Department of Health and Human Services, whose governing
boards include significant representation of consumers of hospital services
residing in the area served by the hospital, and which agree not to
discriminate in any way against any consumer of hospital services based
upon the consumer's source of payment for those services. Grants that may
be awarded under this paragraph (f) shall be limited to $500,000 and shall
not exceed 50% of the total project need indicated in each application.
Expenses covered by the grants may include but are not limited to facility
renovation, equipment acquisition and maintenance, recruitment of health
personnel, diversification of services, and joint venture arrangements.
(g) To establish a recruitment center which shall actively recruit
physicians and other health care practitioners to participate in the
program, maintain contacts with participating practitioners, actively
promote health care professional practice in designated shortage areas,
assist in matching the skills of participating medical students with the
needs of community health centers in designated shortage areas, and assist
participating medical students in locating in designated shortage areas.
(h) To assist communities in designated shortage areas find alternative
services or temporary health care providers when existing health care
providers are called into active duty with the armed forces of the United
States.
(i) To develop, in cooperation with the Illinois Finance
Authority, financing programs whose goals and purposes shall be to provide
moneys to carry out the purpose of this Act, including, but not limited to,
revenue bond programs, revolving loan programs, equipment leasing programs, and
working cash programs. The Department may transfer to the Illinois
Finance Authority, into an account outside of the State treasury, moneys in
special funds of the Department for the purposes of establishing those
programs. The disposition of any moneys so transferred shall be determined by
an interagency agreement.
(Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 93-205, eff. 1-1-04.)
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