Full Text of SJR0053 95th General Assembly
SJ0053 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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SJ0053 |
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| SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The percentage of Illinoisans without healthcare | 3 |
| coverage has been rising for the last 15 years, growing from | 4 |
| 9.7% in 1987 to 14.1% in 2002, and rural residents have been | 5 |
| facing increasing barriers to health care including provider | 6 |
| shortage, transportation, and lack of medical insurance; and
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| WHEREAS, More than 28% of the U.S. population, over 65 | 8 |
| million people, live in rural areas, yet only 9% of physicians | 9 |
| practice in rural areas and Illinois is no exception; and
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| WHEREAS, The shortage of rural health professionals in | 11 |
| Illinois is on the rise and is expected to increase sharply in | 12 |
| the next 10 years due to the retirement of an aging rural | 13 |
| health professions workforce and the absence of adequate | 14 |
| numbers of rural-specific students in health professions | 15 |
| trainings programs to replace them, and this may increase the | 16 |
| disparity in access to basic medical services unless corrective | 17 |
| action is taken; and
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| WHEREAS, 80 Illinois counties are medical shortage areas, | 19 |
| and if trends continue without intervention, 485 additional | 20 |
| physicians will be required by 2010 and there will be a related | 21 |
| demand for the allied health professionals necessary to provide | 22 |
| comprehensive health services; and
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LRB095 12133 MJR 36187 r |
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| WHEREAS, Health manpower shortages will be magnified as the | 2 |
| aging rural population increases the demand for health care | 3 |
| services; and | 4 |
| WHEREAS, Illinois is facing a 2010 nursing shortage of | 5 |
| 4,265 nurses, of which nearly half will be required in rural | 6 |
| communities to replace retirees and increased system demands | 7 |
| for health care; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, The average population-per dentist ratio places | 9 |
| rural residents at nearly a 2 to 1 disadvantage for accessing | 10 |
| dental care and in 82 of 88 rural counties there is no | 11 |
| pediatric dentist participating in the Medicaid program and | 12 |
| one-fifth of actively practicing rural dentists graduated from | 13 |
| Illinois dental schools that no longer exist; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, The number of retail pharmacies in Illinois has | 15 |
| increased, particularly in urban areas, but its has become | 16 |
| increasingly difficult to recruit pharmacists for rural | 17 |
| hospital work due to staffing shortages and maldistribution; | 18 |
| and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, Illinois' rural residents face disparities in | 20 |
| access to specialty medical services, tele-health, medical | 21 |
| transportation, community health care access for basic |
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| services and mental health; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, The late U.S. Senator Paul Simon was a special | 3 |
| advocate for the citizens of Illinois and in that interest | 4 |
| hosted a rural health care summit under the Paul Simon Public | 5 |
| Policy Institute that generated a set of recommendations | 6 |
| entitled "Charting a Health Care Agenda", which resulted in the | 7 |
| creation by the 94th General Assembly of the 8-member Joint | 8 |
| Task Force on Rural Health and Medically Underserved Areas that | 9 |
| focused on the reduction of health care disparities in various | 10 |
| shortage areas of Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, The Joint Task Force on Rural Health and Medically | 12 |
| Underserved Areas studied the health care disparities of the | 13 |
| citizens of Illinois and proposed priority recommendations in | 14 |
| its December 2006 report to the Governor and General Assembly | 15 |
| to preserve capacity, improve access, and correct workforce | 16 |
| shortages; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 18 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 19 |
| CONCURRING HEREIN, that the recommendations of the Joint Task | 20 |
| Force on Rural Health and Medically Underserved Areas be | 21 |
| supported and implemented without delay; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That each house in the General Assembly create a |
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| permanent standing committee charged with monitoring and | 2 |
| advocating for the health needs of rural and medically | 3 |
| underserved citizens of the State; and be it further | 4 |
| RESOLVED, That the General Assembly should consider | 5 |
| allocating additional funds to implement the priority | 6 |
| recommendations of the task force as a positive investment in | 7 |
| the health care infrastructure of Illinois because they address | 8 |
| long-standing critical deficits that need immediate attention; | 9 |
| and be it further | 10 |
| RESOLVED, That immediate implementation of the Task Force | 11 |
| priority recommendations would truly honor the legacy of the | 12 |
| late Senator Paul Simon in terms of his advocacy and concerns | 13 |
| regarding the reduction of health disparities across the State, | 14 |
| and that it would be a fitting memorial for the 95th General | 15 |
| Assembly to develop and implement in Senator Paul Simon's honor | 16 |
| the Task Force recommendations with the appropriations | 17 |
| necessary to accomplish the same.
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