State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB2842

 
                                               LRB9105209SMdv

 1        AN ACT regarding hepatitis C screening and awareness.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section.  1.  This Act may be cited as  the  Hepatitis  C
 5    Screening and Awareness Act.

 6        Section 5.  Definition.  As used in this Act:
 7        "Department"  means  the  Illinois  Department  of Public
 8    Health.

 9        Section   10.    Education    programs    and    resource
10    identification.  The Department shall:
11        (1)  Establish and promote hepatitis C education programs
12    as  an  integral  part  of  its  health promotion and disease
13    prevention  efforts  in  order  to  raise  public  awareness,
14    educate  consumers,  and  educate  and  train   health   care
15    professionals and human services providers.
16        (2)  Identify   resources   for  hepatitis  C  education,
17    screening,  and  treatment  and  coordinate  the  efforts  of
18    existing organizations with new programs and with each  other
19    so as to maximize education and access to services.

20        Section   15.    Awareness,   diagnosis,   and  treatment
21    strategies.  The Department may use the following  strategies
22    for   raising  public  awareness  of  the  causes,  including
23    personal risk factors, and the nature  of  hepatitis  C,  the
24    value  of  prevention  and  early  detection, and options for
25    diagnosing and treating the disease:
26             (1)  An outreach campaign  utilizing  print,  radio,
27        and     television    public    service    announcements,
28        advertisements, posters, and other materials.
29             (2)  Community forums.
 
                            -2-                LRB9105209SMdv
 1             (3)  Health information and risk  factor  assessment
 2        at public events.
 3             (4)  Targeting at-risk populations.
 4             (5)  Providing   reliable   information   to  policy
 5        makers.
 6             (6)  Distributing information through  local  health
 7        agencies,    schools,    employer    wellness   programs,
 8        physicians, hospitals, health maintenance  organizations,
 9        prisons,   sports   leagues,   nonprofit   organizations,
10        community-based    organizations,    State   fairs,   and
11        Department and local public health offices.
12             (7)  Identifying    and    obtaining     educational
13        materials,   including   brochures  and  videotapes  that
14        translate accurately the latest scientific information on
15        hepatitis C in easy-to-understand terms.
16             (8)  Building  a  statewide  capacity   to   provide
17        information  and referrals on all aspects of hepatitis C,
18        including but  not  limited  to,  educational  materials,
19        counseling, and patient support groups.

20        Section  20.   Guidelines  for  diagnosis, treatment, and
21    therapeutic decision-making.  The Department  shall  use  the
22    strategies, protocols, and guidelines adopted by the National
23    Institutes  of Health on hepatitis C for educating physicians
24    and health professionals and training providers on  the  most
25    recent  scientific  and  medical  information  on hepatitis C
26    detection,    diagnosis,    treatment,    and     therapeutic
27    decision-making.   The  guidelines  may  include,  but not be
28    limited to, the following:
29             (1)  Tracking  and  reporting  of  both  acute   and
30        chronic cases of hepatitis C by public health officials.
31             (2)  A  cost-efficient  plan  to  screen  the prison
32        population.
33             (3)  Protocols  that  may   be   used   within   the
 
                            -3-                LRB9105209SMdv
 1        Department  of  Corrections  to enable that Department to
 2        provide appropriate treatment to prisoners with hepatitis
 3        C.
 4             (4)  Protocols for  the  education  of  correctional
 5        officers  and  other  correctional  workers who work with
 6        prisoners with hepatitis C.
 7             (5)  Protocols for public safety and the problem  of
 8        health  care workers who come in contact with hepatitis C
 9        patients.

10        Section  25.   Required  hepatitis  C  screenings.    The
11    following persons shall be screened for hepatitis C using the
12    most  cost-efficient  methods  available  and using generally
13    accepted protocols for screening:
14             (1)  Psychiatric patients entering  a  State  mental
15        health or developmental disabilities facility.
16             (2)  Department of Corrections employees who come in
17        direct contact with prisoners.
18             (3)  Prisoners     entering    State    correctional
19        institutions or facilities.
20             (4)  Employees  of  a   State   mental   health   or
21        developmental  disabilities facility who come into direct
22        contact with patients of that facility.

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