It’s Halloween Weekend. What’s your costume? My youngest is Ariel from the Little Mermaid so she’s informed me I’ll be going as Sebastian. I’m not sure what to make of that…
New Bill of Interest
Not many bills introduced in the last month, but I did want to flag this one:
HB 5823 (Flowers) - Requires the Department of Public Health to establish reproductive health centers throughout the State to provide comprehensive access to essential reproductive health care services. Amends the Equity and Representation in Health Care Act. Expands the definition of "medical facility" to include a reproductive health center established at a nonprofit community health center. Allows a licensed certified professional midwife may provide out-of-hospital care to a childbearing individual who has had a previous cesarean section, if authorized by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Removes language prohibiting a licensed certified professional midwife from (1) performing an abortion or (2) knowingly accepting responsibility for prenatal or intrapartum care of a client with alcohol abuse or drug addiction. Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Removes from the definition of "neglected child" any child who is a newborn infant whose blood, urine, or meconium contains any amount of a controlled substance
There’s lot in that bill but that last thing jumps out at me.
Broad Stakeholder Telehealth Support Letter
This week the Illinois Chamber of Commerce signed onto a stakeholder letter to Congress calling for expanded healthcare access by allowing employers and health plans to offer telehealth services pre-deductible. This provision was allowed in the CARES Act of 2020 and is scheduled to end at the end of this year without further legislative action.
You can read the full letter, and sign on your organization HERE.
This Morning: Illinois EPA to Host Medication Take Back Program Stakeholder Meeting
In advance of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the Illinois EPA will host an information session to provide insight into how the new manufacturer-funded Medication Take Back Program will be implemented in Illinois. Earlier this year, Governor Pritzker signed HB 1780 into law creating the Drug Take Back Act, establishing the new program. The meeting will be held this morning, Friday, October 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Packingtown Museum, 1400 West 46th Street in Chicago.
The new law marks a shift in the collection of unused and unwanted medications in Illinois. Traditionally, medication collections were available to residents through a patchwork of sites supported by the Illinois EPA, the Drug Enforcement Administration, pharmaceutical manufacturers, retailers, police departments, local government, and some not-for-profits. Beginning December 2023, drug manufacturers will be responsible for covering the costs to dispose of all medications collected as part of a centralized, statewide collection network that will be constructed.
Friday’s meeting will include a broad discussion of the new law’s implementation involving all impacted parties. It will include presentations from the Illinois Environmental Council regarding their work on the legislation. Illinois EPA representatives will speak on implementation expectations and how this law compares to other extended producer responsibility laws, such as the electronics recycling law.
IDPH Award up to $3.7 Million to Address Systemic Health Disparities Highlighted by COVID-19
Last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today the state is awarding up to $3.7 million to 18 different organizations across Illinois to address systemic health disparities that have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The federally funded program called ARISE (Activating Relationships In Illinois for Systemic Equity) is a joint initiative of IDPH’s Center for Minority Health Services and The Center for Rural Health, in collaboration with Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World.
“The ARISE program is awarding funding from the CDC to 11 community collaborations and their associated local health departments, and seven other organizations, to support progress in implementing health equity strategies. The program uses a framework called Pathways to Population Health Equity, which has been developed by WE in the World and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO).
The community coalitions will address inequities in mental, physical, and social well-being in communities that are experiencing the brunt of these disparities by connecting people to vaccinations, food, and other well-being needs. They will also address underlying community needs such as humane housing, reliable transportation, and the root causes of these inequities, including racism and poverty.”
The following community collaborations with their local health department partners and organizations, were selected for grants:
- Lake County’s Black and Brown Coalition for Health Equity (Lake County Health Department)
- Engaging Alton for Equity (Madison County Health Department)
- Immigrant Cooperative (Champaign-Urbana Public Health District)
- Clay County Health 4 Generations Coalition (Clay County Health Department)
- ARISE for Will County (Will County Health Department)
- HEART (DuPage County Health Department)
- East Central Illinois Rural Healthcare Consortium (Ford County Health Department & Iroquois Health Department)
- Quincy ARISE Coalition (Adams County Health Department)
- ARISE Kankakee (Kankakee County Health Department)
- Effingham Health Committee (Effingham County Health Department)
- Juntos (McHenry County Health Department)
- Junior Medic LLC (Will County)
- YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago (Lake County)
- Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc, Kappa Sigma Zeta Chapter (Sangamon County)
- Coordinated Care Alliance (Alexander, Cass, Clay, Cumberland, Edwards, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Henderson, Jackson, Jefferson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Shelby, Wayne, White, Will counties)
- Rainbow Cafe (Alexander, Edwards, Franklin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Kane, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Wayne, White, Gallatin, Johnson, Perry, Randolph, Union, Williamson, Wabash counties)
- Community Unit School District 300 (Kane & McHenry counties)
- Islamic Alliance to Advance Health Equity in Lake County (IHEAL) (Lake County)
Other Legislative Updates
As a reminder, the General Assembly has released the schedule for veto session. Lawmakers will be back in Springfield Tuesday, November 15 -November 17 as well as November 29-December 1.
View and download the veto calendar here.
Lawmakers have been informed to keep January 4-10 open on their calendars for possible lame duck session dates.
