093_HB0687enr

 
HB0687 Enrolled                      LRB093 05506 MKM 05597 b

 1        AN ACT in relation to health.

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

 4        Section  5.  The  Department  of Public Health Powers and
 5    Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code  of  Illinois  is
 6    amended  by  adding Sections 2310-376, 2310-377, and 2310-378
 7    as follows:

 8        (20 ILCS 2310/2310-376 new)
 9        Sec. 2310-376.  Hepatitis C education and outreach.
10        (a)  The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the
11    following:
12             (1)  The  World  Health  Organization  characterizes
13        Hepatitis C as a disease of primary concern to humanity.
14             (2)  Hepatitis C is considered a silent  killer;  no
15        recognizable  signs  or symptoms occur until severe liver
16        damage has occurred.
17             (3)  Studies  indicate   that   nearly   4   million
18        Americans (1.8 percent of the population) carry the virus
19        HCV that causes the disease.
20             (4)  30,000  acute new infections occur each year in
21        the  United  States,  and  only  25  to  30  percent  are
22        diagnosed.
23             (5)  8,000 to 10,000 Americans die from the  disease
24        each year.
25             (6)  200,000  Illinois residents may be carriers and
26        could develop the  debilitating  and  potentially  deadly
27        liver disease.
28             (7)  Inmates   of  correctional  facilities  have  a
29        higher incidence of Hepatitis C and, upon their  release,
30        present   a   significant  health  risk  to  the  general
31        population.
 
HB0687 Enrolled            -2-       LRB093 05506 MKM 05597 b
 1        (b)  Subject  to  appropriation,  the  Department   shall
 2    conduct  an  education  and outreach campaign, in addition to
 3    its overall effort to prevent infectious disease in Illinois,
 4    in order to raise awareness about and promote  prevention  of
 5    Hepatitis C.

 6        (20 ILCS 2310/2310-377 new)
 7        Sec. 2310-377.  Lupus education and outreach.
 8        (a)  The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the
 9    following:
10             (1)  Lupus   is  a  chronic,  incurable  auto-immune
11        disease of unknown origin that mainly  affects  women  of
12        childbearing  age,  is  difficult to diagnose, and causes
13        severe, potentially life-threatening organ damage.
14             (2)  The Lupus Foundation of America estimates  that
15        1.4 million people in the U.S. have a form of lupus.
16             (3)  Lupus  causes  the  immune system to attack the
17        body's healthy cells and tissues producing  skin  damage,
18        rheumatoid  arthritis,  life-threatening  inflammation of
19        multiple major organs, and a potentially fatal failure of
20        the renal, circulatory, or central nervous system.
21             (4)  Symptoms include joint pain, rash, unusual loss
22        of hair, unexplained fever, low blood counts, sensitivity
23        to the sun, and fingers that turn  pale  or  purple  when
24        exposed to cold.
25             (5)  According to the Lupus Foundation of America, a
26        survey of its members revealed that more than half of all
27        people  with  lupus  suffered  4  or  more years and were
28        examined by 3 or more doctors before obtaining a  correct
29        diagnosis.
30             (6)  According to the Center for Disease Control and
31        Prevention,  the  number  of lupus-related deaths between
32        1979 and 1988 increased  dramatically;  African  American
33        women,  ages  45-64,  experienced  a  70%  increase,  the
 
HB0687 Enrolled            -3-       LRB093 05506 MKM 05597 b
 1        largest  increase  among  all  groups  in  the  20  years
 2        studied.
 3        (b)  Subject   to  appropriation,  the  Department  shall
 4    conduct an education and outreach campaign in order to  raise
 5    awareness  about  the  symptoms  and  treatment  of  lupus, a
 6    potentially life-threatening disease.

 7        (20 ILCS 2310/2310-378 new)
 8        Sec. 2310-378.  Wilson's disease.
 9        (a)  The Illinois General Assembly finds and declares the
10    following:
11             (1)  Wilson's disease is an  inherited  disorder  in
12        which  excessive amounts of copper accumulate in the body
13        and  can  cause  liver  disease   and   neurological   or
14        psychiatric disorders; and
15             (2)  Successful treatment is available for sufferers
16        of  Wilson's  disease  but, without proper treatment, the
17        disease is generally fatal by the age of 30.
18        (b)  Subject to appropriation, the Department shall:  (i)
19    conduct  a public health information campaign for physicians,
20    hospitals, health facilities, public health departments,  and
21    the  general public on Wilson's disease, methods of care, and
22    treatment modalities available;  (ii)  identify  and  catalog
23    Wilson's disease resources in this State for distribution and
24    referral   purposes;   and  (iii)  coordinate  services  with
25    established programs, including State, federal, and voluntary
26    groups.