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1    AN ACT concerning health.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds the
7following:
8        (1) Parkinson's disease is a debilitating, painful,
9    and incurable neurological disorder of unknown origin that
10    disrupts and can end the lives of those who suffer from it.
11        (2) Parkinson's disease causes diverse symptoms,
12    including rigidity, slowness of movement, poor balance,
13    and tremors, which lead to an impaired ability to walk,
14    speak, swallow, and even breathe, so that the end result
15    can be a clear mind trapped inside a body that has lost its
16    ability to function.
17        (3) The visible symptoms of Parkinson's disease are
18    often mistaken to be a normal part of the aging process.
19        (4) In addition, many people with the disease encounter
20    precarious legal and personal situations in which they are
21    erroneously thought to be under the influence of illegal or
22    prescription drugs or alcohol due to their movement and
23    gait patterns.

 

 

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1        (5) Parkinson's disease takes an enormous emotional,
2    psychological, and physical toll on caregivers and
3    families, potentially overwhelming their lives.
4        (6) It has been estimated that 1,500,000 Americans have
5    been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, 50,000 more are
6    diagnosed nationally each year, and another 1,500,000
7    persons have the disease but have never seen a neurologist.
8        (7) Parkinson's disease costs Americans
9    $25,000,000,000 per year, including medical treatments,
10    disability payments, and lost productivity.
11        (8) Medications can only control some of the symptoms
12    of the disease and only for uncertain periods of time.
13        (9) The federal Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease
14    Research Act of 1997 provides federal funding through the
15    National Institutes of Health for Parkinson's disease, and
16    April 11 has been proclaimed to be World Parkinson's Day in
17    order to recognize the need for more research and help in
18    dealing with the devastating effects of this disease.
19        (10) Increased public awareness and education are
20    needed among health care, social services, judicial, law
21    enforcement, and emergency medical services personnel in
22    order to better respond to the needs of Parkinson's disease
23    patients and their caregivers and families.
24        (11) It is imperative for Illinois to commit itself to
25    actively support such public awareness and education
26    efforts throughout the State in order to better meet the

 

 

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1    needs of its citizens who are suffering from Parkinson's
2    disease.
 
3    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
4    "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
5    "Director" means the Director of Public Health.
6    "Program" means the Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness
7and Education Program established under this Act.
 
8    Section 15. Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and
9Education Program.
10    (a) Subject to appropriation, the Director shall establish
11a Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Program.
12    (b) The purpose of the Program is to promote public
13awareness of Parkinson's disease and the value of early
14detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and
15risks of those treatments. The Department may accept for that
16purpose any special grant of moneys, services, or property from
17the federal government or any of its agencies, or from any
18foundation, organization, or medical school.
19    (c) The Program shall include the following:
20        (1) Development of a public education and outreach
21    campaign to promote Parkinson's disease awareness and
22    education, including, but not limited to, the following
23    subjects:
24            (A) the cause and nature of the disease;

 

 

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1            (B) diagnostic procedures and appropriate
2        indications for their use;
3            (C) lifestyle issues relating to how a person copes
4        with Parkinson's disease, including, but not limited
5        to, nutrition, diet, and physical exercise;
6            (D) environmental safety and injury prevention;
7        and
8            (E) availability of Parkinson's disease diagnostic
9        and treatment services in the community.
10        (2) Development of educational materials to be made
11    available to consumers through local physicians,
12    hospitals, clinics, and boards of health.
13        (3) Development of professional education programs for
14    health care providers to assist them in understanding
15    research findings and the subjects set forth in paragraph
16    (1) of this subsection.
17        (4) Development of educational programs for other
18    personnel, including judicial staff, police officers, fire
19    fighters, and social services and emergency medical
20    service providers, to assist them in recognizing the
21    symptoms of Parkinson's disease and understanding how to
22    respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the
23    course of performing their duties, including dissemination
24    of the informational booklet prepared under Section 20 of
25    this Act.
26        (5) Development and maintenance of a list of current

 

 

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1    providers of specialized services for the diagnosis and
2    treatment of Parkinson's disease. Dissemination of the
3    list shall be accompanied by a description of diagnostic
4    procedures, appropriate indications for their use, and a
5    cautionary statement about the current status of
6    Parkinson's disease research and treatment. The statement
7    shall also indicate that the Department does not endorse
8    specific Parkinson's disease programs or centers in this
9    State.
 
10    Section 20. Informational booklet.
11    (a) The Department, in consultation with the Midwest
12Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association, any
13public or private university medical school that the Director
14deems useful, including, but not limited to, Loyola Medical
15School, and the Department on Aging, shall prepare an
16informational booklet in English, Spanish, and Mandarin that
17provides, in a manner easily understandable by a patient or
18other non-health care professional, information about the
19symptoms and treatment of Parkinson's disease. The booklet may
20contain any other information that the Department deems
21necessary and may be revised by the Department whenever new
22information about Parkinson's disease becomes available.
23    (b) The Department shall make a supply of the booklets
24available to all licensed health care facilities engaged in the
25diagnosis or treatment of Parkinson's disease and to those

 

 

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1personnel described in paragraph (4) of subsection (c) of
2Section 15 of this Act, as well as to health care
3professionals, community health centers, and members of the
4public upon their request. The Department shall publicize and
5make available the booklet to the maximum extent possible, and
6shall make available electronically on its website in English
7and Spanish the information contained in the booklet.
 
8    Section 25. Rules. The Director shall adopt rules to
9effectuate the purposes of this Act.