HB1612 Engrossed LRB095 10680 KBJ 30911 b

1     AN ACT concerning public health.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Rural/Downstate Health Act is
5 amended by changing Section 4 as follows:
 
6     (410 ILCS 65/4)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8054)
7     Sec. 4. The Center shall have the authority:
8     (a) To assist rural communities and communities in
9 designated shortage areas by providing technical assistance to
10 community leaders in defining their specific health care needs
11 and identifying strategies to address those needs.
12     (b) To link rural communities and communities in designated
13 shortage areas with other units in the Department or other
14 State agencies which can assist in the solution of a health
15 care access problem.
16     (c) To maintain and disseminate information on innovative
17 health care strategies, either directly or indirectly.
18     (d) To administer State or federal grant programs relating
19 to rural health or medically underserved areas established by
20 State or federal law for which funding has been made available.
21     (e) To promote the development of primary care services in
22 rural areas and designated shortage areas. Subject to available
23 appropriations, the Department may annually award grants of up

 

 

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1 to $300,000 each to enable the health services in those areas
2 to offer multi-service comprehensive ambulatory care, thereby
3 improving access to primary care services. Grants may cover
4 operational and facility construction and renovation expenses,
5 including but not limited to the cost of personnel, medical
6 supplies and equipment, patient transportation, and health
7 provider recruitment. The Department shall prescribe by rule
8 standards and procedures for the provision of local matching
9 funds in relation to each grant application. Grants provided
10 under this paragraph (e) shall be in addition to support and
11 assistance provided under subsection (a) of Section 2310-200 of
12 the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law (20 ILCS
13 2310/2310-200). Eligible applicants shall include, but not be
14 limited to, community-based organizations, hospitals, local
15 health departments, and Community Health Centers as defined in
16 Section 4.1 of this Act.
17     (f) To annually provide grants from available
18 appropriations to hospitals located in medically underserved
19 areas or health manpower shortage areas as defined by the
20 United States Department of Health and Human Services, whose
21 governing boards include significant representation of
22 consumers of hospital services residing in the area served by
23 the hospital, and which agree not to discriminate in any way
24 against any consumer of hospital services based upon the
25 consumer's source of payment for those services. Grants that
26 may be awarded under this paragraph (f) shall be limited to

 

 

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1 $500,000 and shall not exceed 50% of the total project need
2 indicated in each application. Expenses covered by the grants
3 may include but are not limited to facility renovation,
4 equipment acquisition and maintenance, recruitment of health
5 personnel, diversification of services, and joint venture
6 arrangements.
7     (g) To establish a recruitment center which shall actively
8 recruit physicians and other health care practitioners to
9 participate in the program, maintain contacts with
10 participating practitioners, actively promote health care
11 professional practice in designated shortage areas, assist in
12 matching the skills of participating medical students with the
13 needs of community health centers in designated shortage areas,
14 and assist participating medical students in locating in
15 designated shortage areas.
16     (h) To assist communities in designated shortage areas find
17 alternative services or temporary health care providers when
18 existing health care providers are called into active duty with
19 the armed forces of the United States.
20     (i) To develop, in cooperation with the Illinois Finance
21 Authority, financing programs whose goals and purposes shall be
22 to provide moneys to carry out the purpose of this Act,
23 including, but not limited to, revenue bond programs, revolving
24 loan programs, equipment leasing programs, and working cash
25 programs. The Department may transfer to the Illinois Finance
26 Authority, into an account outside of the State treasury,

 

 

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1 moneys in special funds of the Department for the purposes of
2 establishing those programs. The disposition of any moneys so
3 transferred shall be determined by an interagency agreement.
4     (j) To assist communities in rural and designated shortage
5 areas by improving access to mental health services by
6 soliciting and awarding related grant proposals under this
7 Section, in cooperation with the Department of Human Services.
8 (Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 93-205, eff. 1-1-04.)