| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Association of Free & Charitable
| ||||||
| 3 | Clinics improves access to quality health care for 100,000
| ||||||
| 4 | low-income individuals who are uninsured or underinsured by
| ||||||
| 5 | strengthening free and charitable clinics, fostering | ||||||
| 6 | partnerships,
educating the public, and advocating for health | ||||||
| 7 | policy; and
| ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2021, the | ||||||
| 9 | number of
Illinois residents with health insurance declined, | ||||||
| 10 | and health care for 800,000 residents in Illinois is | ||||||
| 11 | imminently
needed; and
| ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, Free and charitable clinics have a mission to
| ||||||
| 13 | serve the uninsured and underinsured by providing a range of
| ||||||
| 14 | health care services, including medical, dental, | ||||||
| 15 | pharmaceutical,
and mental and behavioral health; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, Free and charitable clinics provide community
| ||||||
| 17 | health resources that include COVID tests and vaccines as well | ||||||
| 18 | as health education and services on a wide range of topics, | ||||||
| 19 | including diabetes hypertension, diet, exercise, home health, | ||||||
| 20 | and medicine administration; and
| ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Association of Free & Charitable
| ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | Clinics operates over 52 free and charitable clinics across
| ||||||
| 2 | Illinois that are located in both rural and urban areas of the | ||||||
| 3 | State,
providing visits to approximately 40,000 patients
| ||||||
| 4 | annually; and
| ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Doctors, nurses, and other health care | ||||||
| 6 | professionals have provided more than 580,000 thousand | ||||||
| 7 | volunteer hours of medical care, administered over 15,000 | ||||||
| 8 | COVID-19 vaccines, cared for over 42,000 patients in the | ||||||
| 9 | clinics, and reached over 60,000 in
community outreach and | ||||||
| 10 | engagement; and
| ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, Free and charitable clinics in Illinois are truly
| ||||||
| 12 | an invaluable resource for Illinois residents who are without
| ||||||
| 13 | insurance or are underinsured and provide access to
| ||||||
| 14 | life-saving medical care that would otherwise be unavailable | ||||||
| 15 | or
more costly; therefore, be it
| ||||||
| 16 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 17 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 18 | we declare August of
2022 as "Free and Charitable Clinic | ||||||
| 19 | Month" in the State of
Illinois in order to create community | ||||||
| 20 | awareness of the mission
and availability of free and | ||||||
| 21 | charitable clinics across the
State so that residents who are | ||||||
| 22 | without insurance or are
underinsured can receive access to | ||||||
| 23 | vital medical care; and be it further | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude and admiration for
| ||||||
| 2 | the important work the many free and charitable clinics,
| ||||||
| 3 | volunteer doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals
| ||||||
| 4 | do for our great citizens throughout the State of Illinois; | ||||||
| 5 | and
be it further
| ||||||
| 6 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 7 | presented to the Illinois Association of Free & Charitable
| ||||||
| 8 | Clinics as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
| ||||||