95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB1643

 

Introduced 2/22/2007, by Rep. Sandra M. Pihos - Kathleen A. Ryg

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
410 ILCS 53/10
410 ILCS 53/13
410 ILCS 53/15
410 ILCS 53/20
410 ILCS 53/25
410 ILCS 53/30

    Amends the Illinois Suicide Prevention, Education, and Treatment Act. Deletes references to the "Illinois Suicide Prevention Strategic Planning Committee" and the "Committee" and replaces them with the "Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance" and the "Alliance".


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A BILL FOR

 

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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 Suicide Prevention, Education, and
5 Treatment Act is amended by changing Sections 10, 13, 15, 20,
6 25, and 30 as follows:
 
7     (410 ILCS 53/10)
8     Sec. 10. Definitions. For the purpose of this Act, unless
9 the context otherwise requires:
10     "Alliance" means the Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance.
11     "Committee" means the Illinois Suicide Prevention
12 Strategic Planning Committee.
13     "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
14     "Plan" means the Illinois Suicide Prevention Strategic
15 Plan set forth in Section 15.
16 (Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
17     (410 ILCS 53/13)
18     Sec. 13. Duration; report. All projects set forth in this
19 Act must be at least 3 years in duration, and the Department
20 and related contracts as well as the Illinois Suicide
21 Prevention Alliance Suicide Prevention Strategic Planning
22 Committee must report annually to the Governor and General

 

 

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1 Assembly on the effectiveness of these activities and programs.
2 (Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
3     (410 ILCS 53/15)
4     Sec. 15. Suicide Prevention Alliance Strategic Planning
5 Committee.
6     (a) The Alliance Committee is created as the official
7 grassroots creator, planner, monitor, and advocate for the
8 Illinois Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan. No later than one
9 year after the effective date of this Act, the Alliance
10 Committee shall review, finalize, and submit to the Governor
11 and the General Assembly the Illinois Suicide Prevention
12 Strategic Plan and appropriate processes and outcome
13 objectives for 10 overriding recommendations and a timeline for
14 reaching these objectives.
15     (b) The Alliance Committee shall use the United States
16 Surgeon General's National Suicide Prevention Strategy as a
17 model for the Plan. The Alliance Committee shall review the
18 statutorily prescribed missions of major State mental health,
19 health, aging, and school mental health programs and recommend,
20 as necessary and appropriate, statutory changes to include
21 suicide prevention in the missions and procedures of those
22 programs. The Alliance Committee shall prepare a report of that
23 review, including its recommendations, and shall submit the
24 report to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 31,
25 2004.

 

 

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1     (c) The Director of Public Health shall appoint the members
2 of the Alliance Committee. The membership of the Alliance
3 Committee shall include, without limitation, representatives
4 of statewide organizations and other agencies that focus on the
5 prevention of suicide and the improvement of mental health
6 treatment or that provide suicide prevention or survivor
7 support services. Other disciplines that shall be considered
8 for membership on the Alliance committee include law
9 enforcement, first responders, faith-based community leaders,
10 universities, and survivors of suicide (families and friends
11 who have lost persons to suicide) as well as consumers of
12 services of these agencies and organizations.
13     (d) The Alliance committee shall meet at least 4 times a
14 year, and more as deemed necessary, in various sites statewide
15 in order to foster as much participation as possible. The
16 Alliance Committee, a steering committee, and core members of
17 the full committee shall monitor and guide the definition and
18 direction of the goals of the full Alliance Committee, shall
19 review and approve productions of the plan, and shall meet
20 before the full Alliance Committee meetings.
21 (Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
22     (410 ILCS 53/20)
23     Sec. 20. General awareness and screening program.
24     (a) The Department shall provide technical assistance for
25 the work of the Alliance Committee and the production of the

 

 

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1 Plan and shall distribute general information and screening
2 tools for suicide prevention to the general public through
3 local public health departments throughout the State. These
4 materials shall be distributed to agencies, schools,
5 hospitals, churches, places of employment, and all related
6 professional caregivers to educate all citizens about warning
7 signs and interventions that all persons can do to stop the
8 suicidal cycle.
9     (b) This program shall include, without limitation, all of
10 the following:
11         (1) Educational programs about warning signs and how to
12     help suicidal individuals.
13         (2) Educational presentations about suicide risk and
14     how to help at-risk people in special populations and with
15     bilingual support to special cultures.
16         (3) The designation of an annual suicide awareness week
17     or month to include a public awareness campaign on suicide.
18         (4) A statewide suicide prevention conference before
19     November of 2004.
20         (5) An Illinois Suicide Prevention Speaker's Bureau.
21         (6) A program to educate the media regarding the
22     guidelines developed by the American Association for
23     Suicidology for coverage of suicides and to encourage media
24     cooperation in adopting these guidelines in reporting
25     suicides.
26         (7) Increased training opportunities for volunteers,

 

 

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1     professionals, and other caregivers to develop specific
2     skills for assessing suicide risk and intervening to
3     prevent suicide.
4 (Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
5     (410 ILCS 53/25)
6     Sec. 25. Additional duties of the Alliance Committee. The
7 Alliance Committee shall:
8         (1) Act as an advisor and lead consultant on the
9     design, implementation, and evaluation of all programs
10     outlined in this Act.
11         (2) Establish interagency policy and procedures among
12     appropriate agencies for the collaboration and
13     coordination needed to implement the programs outlined in
14     this Act.
15         (3) Design, review, select, and monitor proposals for
16     the implementation of these activities in agencies
17     throughout the State.
18 (Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)
 
19     (410 ILCS 53/30)
20     Sec. 30. Suicide prevention pilot programs.
21     (a) The Department shall establish, when funds are
22 appropriated, up to 5 pilot programs that provide training and
23 direct service programs relating to youth, elderly, special
24 populations, high-risk populations, and professional

 

 

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1 caregivers. The purpose of these pilot programs is to
2 demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of the projects set
3 forth in this Act in the communities in which they are offered.
4 The pilot programs shall be operational for at least 2 years of
5 the 3-year requirement set forth in Section 13.
6     (b) The Director of Public Health is encouraged to ensure
7 that the pilot programs include the following prevention
8 strategies:
9         (1) school gatekeeper and faculty training;
10         (2) community gatekeeper training;
11         (3) general community suicide prevention education;
12         (4) health providers and physician training and
13     consultation about high-risk cases;
14         (5) depression, anxiety, and suicide screening
15     programs;
16         (6) peer support youth and older adult programs;
17         (7) the enhancement of 24-hour crisis centers,
18     hotlines, and person-to-person calling trees;
19         (8) means restriction advocacy and collaboration; and
20         (9) intervening and supporting after a suicide.
21     (c) The funds appropriated for purposes of this Section
22 shall be allocated by the Department on a competitive,
23 grant-submission basis, which shall include consideration of
24 different rates of risk of suicide based on age, ethnicity,
25 gender, prevalence of mental health disorders, different rates
26 of suicide based on geographic areas in Illinois, and the

 

 

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1 services and curriculum offered to fit these needs by the
2 applying agency.
3     (d) The Department and Alliance Committee shall prepare a
4 report as to the effectiveness of the demonstration projects
5 established pursuant to this Section and submit that report no
6 later than 6 months after the projects are completed to the
7 Governor and General Assembly.
8 (Source: P.A. 93-907, eff. 8-11-04.)