Public Act 101-0107

HB3247 Enrolled LRB101 10583 CPF 55689 b

AN ACT concerning health.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the

Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Act.

Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds the

following:

(1) Parkinson's disease is a debilitating, painful,

and incurable neurological disorder of unknown origin that

disrupts and can end the lives of those who suffer from it.

(2) Parkinson's disease causes diverse symptoms,

including rigidity, slowness of movement, poor balance,

and tremors, which lead to an impaired ability to walk,

speak, swallow, and even breathe, so that the end result

can be a clear mind trapped inside a body that has lost its

ability to function.

(3) The visible symptoms of Parkinson's disease are

often mistaken to be a normal part of the aging process.

(4) In addition, many people with the disease encounter

precarious legal and personal situations in which they are

erroneously thought to be under the influence of illegal or

prescription drugs or alcohol due to their movement and

gait patterns.

(5) Parkinson's disease takes an enormous emotional,

psychological, and physical toll on caregivers and

families, potentially overwhelming their lives.

(6) It has been estimated that 1,500,000 Americans have

been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, 50,000 more are

diagnosed nationally each year, and another 1,500,000

persons have the disease but have never seen a neurologist.

(7) Parkinson's disease costs Americans

$25,000,000,000 per year, including medical treatments,

disability payments, and lost productivity.

(8) Medications can only control some of the symptoms

of the disease and only for uncertain periods of time.

(9) The federal Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease

Research Act of 1997 provides federal funding through the

National Institutes of Health for Parkinson's disease, and

April 11 has been proclaimed to be World Parkinson's Day in

order to recognize the need for more research and help in

dealing with the devastating effects of this disease.

(10) Increased public awareness and education are

needed among health care, social services, judicial, law

enforcement, and emergency medical services personnel in

order to better respond to the needs of Parkinson's disease

patients and their caregivers and families.

(11) It is imperative for Illinois to commit itself to

actively support such public awareness and education

efforts throughout the State in order to better meet the

needs of its citizens who are suffering from Parkinson's

disease.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Department" means the Department of Public Health.

"Director" means the Director of Public Health.

"Program" means the Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness

and Education Program established under this Act.

Section 15. Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and

Education Program.

(a) Subject to appropriation, the Director shall establish

a Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Program.

(b) The purpose of the Program is to promote public

awareness of Parkinson's disease and the value of early

detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and

risks of those treatments. The Department may accept for that

purpose any special grant of moneys, services, or property from

the federal government or any of its agencies, or from any

foundation, organization, or medical school.

(c) The Program shall include the following:

(1) Development of a public education and outreach

campaign to promote Parkinson's disease awareness and

education, including, but not limited to, the following

subjects:

(A) the cause and nature of the disease;

(B) diagnostic procedures and appropriate

indications for their use;

(C) lifestyle issues relating to how a person copes

with Parkinson's disease, including, but not limited

to, nutrition, diet, and physical exercise;

(D) environmental safety and injury prevention;

and

(E) availability of Parkinson's disease diagnostic

and treatment services in the community.

(2) Development of educational materials to be made

available to consumers through local physicians,

hospitals, clinics, and boards of health.

(3) Development of professional education programs for

health care providers to assist them in understanding

research findings and the subjects set forth in paragraph

(1) of this subsection.

(4) Development of educational programs for other

personnel, including judicial staff, police officers, fire

fighters, and social services and emergency medical

service providers, to assist them in recognizing the

symptoms of Parkinson's disease and understanding how to

respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the

course of performing their duties, including dissemination

of the informational booklet prepared under Section 20 of

this Act.

(5) Development and maintenance of a list of current

providers of specialized services for the diagnosis and

treatment of Parkinson's disease. Dissemination of the

list shall be accompanied by a description of diagnostic

procedures, appropriate indications for their use, and a

cautionary statement about the current status of

Parkinson's disease research and treatment. The statement

shall also indicate that the Department does not endorse

specific Parkinson's disease programs or centers in this

State.

Section 20. Informational booklet.

(a) The Department, in consultation with the Midwest

Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association, any

public or private university medical school that the Director

deems useful, including, but not limited to, Loyola Medical

School, and the Department on Aging, shall prepare an

informational booklet in English, Spanish, and Mandarin that

provides, in a manner easily understandable by a patient or

other non-health care professional, information about the

symptoms and treatment of Parkinson's disease. The booklet may

contain any other information that the Department deems

necessary and may be revised by the Department whenever new

information about Parkinson's disease becomes available.

(b) The Department shall make a supply of the booklets

available to all licensed health care facilities engaged in the

diagnosis or treatment of Parkinson's disease and to those

personnel described in paragraph (4) of subsection (c) of

Section 15 of this Act, as well as to health care

professionals, community health centers, and members of the

public upon their request. The Department shall publicize and

make available the booklet to the maximum extent possible, and

shall make available electronically on its website in English

and Spanish the information contained in the booklet.

Section 25. Rules. The Director shall adopt rules to

effectuate the purposes of this Act.