Public Act 095-0488
 
SB0715 Enrolled LRB095 10971 DRJ 31276 b

    AN ACT concerning health.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the School
Health Center Act.
 
    Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
finds as follows:
        (1) Asthma and oral health problems are 2 of the
    leading causes of absenteeism among Illinois elementary
    and secondary school students.
        (2) Illinois youth must deal with increasing obesity,
    poor nutrition, substance abuse, and mental health crises.
        (3) Many Illinois families lack adequate health
    insurance or access to health care facilities.
        (4) Improving the physical and mental health of
    Illinois' youth is vital to building an educated workforce
    for Illinois' future.
        (5) School health centers provide quality health care
    services like immunizations, physical exams, asthma care,
    mental health counseling, and health in schools, and
    national and local evaluations have found that school
    health centers increase access to health care, reduce
    absenteeism, reduce health care access disparities, and
    reduce unhealthy behaviors that compromise health and
    education success.
        (6) Illinois school health centers were found to save
    the State an estimated $2,500,000 each year by reducing
    emergency room visits, $2,720,000 a year by providing
    immunizations, and $233,000-$342,000 a year by reducing
    asthma-related hospitalizations.
 
    Section 10. Eligibility. All students in the school under
the age of 18 are eligible for services if they have obtained
written parental consent or if they are otherwise permitted
under Illinois law to consent on their own behalf to such care.
All students 18 years of age or older are eligible for the
services.
 
    Section 15. Consent. The school health center shall provide
a list of the health care services available. The form shall
enumerate the provided services using either a check off or
other means. The consent form shall state that a parent, legal
guardian, or student who is permitted under Illinois law to
consent on his or her own behalf has a right to refuse any
health care services.
 
    Section 20. Department of Human Services to initiate school
health centers. Subject to appropriation, the Illinois
Department of Human Services shall initiate 20 new school
health centers over a 5-year period beginning July 1, 2007, and
shall build capacity with existing school health centers in the
State of Illinois.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.