Health & Medicine (HMPRG)

Celebrate at Crossroads Fund’s “Seeds of Change” Benefit – April 1, 2011

 

Health & Medicine is proud that the Crossroads Fund has named Quentin Young a recipient of the 2011 Ron Sable Award for Activism:

For ticket information, please visit crossroadsfund.org/2011benefit.html

 

GREAT NEWS ABOUT ILLINOIS BIRTH CENTERS!!!!!!!

The Illinois Birth Center Task Force has been informed that the 2nd Notice for RULES  for Birth Centers has been posted.

ALMOST ALL of the recommendations for change to the 1st Notice
proposed Rules have been accepted! GOOD RESULTS for advocacy!!!

The Highlights:

• Fire Code (LSC) requirements as "Ambulatory Health Care Occupancy" was removed. Now is Business Occupancy. (This is a biggie - as it removes many of the construction requirements.
• Fee for permit lowered to $500.00 + $100 for each bed.
• Requirement for nursing station as security checkpoint, room call system, room temp controls, electrical outlets, toilets, etc. all removed.
• Some clinical issues clarified-  i.e.,: induction of labor "by pharmacologic agents not allowed (meaning induction by AROM is ok)

There are still a few issues that the Birth Center Task Force will address:

1. History of PPH to be further clarified as an exclusion factor
2. Clarify management of pregnant "walk-in" patients for transfer
3. Definition of "health-related field" to be removed.  This is of great concern, as the IDPH defined "health-related field" as an RN or LPN.  This relates to who is qualified as "birth assistant"- the second person required at a birth.  The wording of the bill is very specific so that Certified Professional Midwives, Certified Nurse Assistants, Certified Medical Assistants, or Physician Assistant could NOT serve as the second individual in the birth room (other than CNM or MD).  We believe this definition was added in somewhere in the drafting of the 1st Notice- and apparently it was overlooked during our initial analysis.

Follow the links below to get to the public Google Document. (Please be patient and let the entire document download.)

See the IDPH REVIEW AND SUMMARY / SECOND NOTICE which includes
comments and changes

See the announcement for SECOND NOTICE RULES FOR BIRTH CENTERS

See a chart of the BIRTH CENTER TASK FORCE SUMMARY which lists all the changes to the FIRST NOTICE PROPOSED RULES  and the Birth Center RESPONSE

Review the FIRST NOTICE RULES FOR BIRTH CENTERS (this is necessary for comparison purposes)

The Rules are scheduled to be reviewed and approved at the March 8, 2011 meeting of the Joint Committee for Administrative Rules (JCAR).

If you feel strongly about the 2nd Notice (particularly regarding the
definition of "health care worker"), you can respond to the SECOND
NOTICE via phone call or e-mail or written letter to:

Susan Meister
Division of Legal Services
Illinois Department of Public Health
535 West Jefferson St., 5th Floor
Springfield, Illinois  62761
Phone:  217/782-2043
Fax: 217)557-8617
e-mail:  dph.rules@illinois.gov

THANK YOU  to all who responded to our request for ACTION! It worked!!!!!!!

Latino Policy Forum a co-sponsoring organization at ICIRR's Upcoming Immigrant Integration Summit

This was forwarded  by HMPRG Board Member Aida Gaichello, Ph.D, Director of the Midwest Latino Health Research, Training & Policy Center

The Latino Policy Forum joins
52 co-sponsoring organizations at ICIRR's
Immigrant Integration Summit on Saturday

The Latino Policy Forum will join Governor Pat Quinn, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), and 52 co-sponsoring organizations on Saturday to tackle major issues facing Illinois immigrants.  

ICIRR's Immigrant Integration Summit and Citizenship Workshop features expert speakers on topics ranging from deportations to redistricting to a DREAM Act for Illinois, along with a panel on budget equity presenting by Latino Policy Forum and ICRR. The day's events culminate with a very special keynote address from Gov. Quinn and a citizenship oath ceremony for new citizens and their families. 

The Summit kicks off at 9am at the West Side Technical Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave, Chicago. Click here to register and check out schedule and workshop information below.

• 9 am: Registration 
• 9:30 am: Workshop Session 1
• 10:45 am: Workshop Session 2
• Noon:  Keynote Address & U.S. Citizenship Oath Ceremony with Gov. Quinn (invited)

Workshops include: 

• Healthcare for All? Immigrant Access in light of federal, state and county changes 
• Moving Forward on English 
• Standing with Families: Creating a DREAM Act for Illinois 
• I Want to Serve: Recruiting immigrant candidates for office
• Standing with Families: Legislative and community responses on deportation
• Equity for All: Making sure services get to every community (co-hosted by the Latino Policy Forum) 
• Working Hard for the American Dream

Assistance for eligible legal permanent residents and citizenship workshops will be available on an ongoing basis from 9am -1pm.We'll look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

IllinoisHealthMatters.org: New Website Is Comprehensive Source for Health Reform Answers

See the release below about Illinois Health Matters  - which was created jointly by five partners:  Health & Disability Advocates, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, AgeOptions, Campaign for Better Health Care, and Health & Medicine Policy Research Group.

Download a copy of the release from PR Newswire

Extensive Information for Individuals, Small Businesses, Providers, and Policymakers

CHICAGO, Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Health & Disability Advocates today launched Illinois Health Matters (illinoishealthmatters.org), a website funded by The Chicago Community Trust that provides up-to-date information on health care reform and its impact—now and in the future—for Illinois consumers, small businesses, the media and policymakers, and community-based organizations.  The website provides solid facts and busts common myths related to health care reform, including individual decision-making ability, the role of the government in health care, the cost of insurance, and options of small business owners.  

"Amid the ongoing debate about health care reform, it's important that Illinois residents know how it will really affect them and about the changes already taking place," said Barbara Otto, CEO of Health & Disability Advocates. "We are so pleased to offer this resource, because while the move to health care reform may be complicated, it has tremendous potential to improve the health of Illinois residents."

Illinois Health Matters was created jointly by five partners:  Health & Disability Advocates, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, AgeOptions, Campaign for Better Health Care, and Health & Medicine Policy Research Group.

Since the passage of the historic Affordable Care Act, both the federal government and State of Illinois have begun to implement changes to provide affordable, quality care for Illinois residents.  Illinois Health Matters is designed to help individuals, businesses, and community-based organizations make smooth transitions to the changes under way. People with pre-existing conditions, self-employed individuals, seniors, and others can find information pertinent to their own health care situations. Community-based organizations and state policymakers can also find trusted information to help their constituents.  With regular news updates, Illinois Health Matters will provide timely information on legislation, Governor Quinn's Health Care Reform Implementation Council, and events related to health care reform in Illinois.  

Illinois Health Matters explains the key elements of the Affordable Care Act, provides a timeline of when each part of the law will take effect, describes the impact on the citizens of Illinois, and includes a Question and Answer section.  Illinois Health Matters also provides facts and myths, FAQs, event listings, information about training sessions that may be helpful to each audience, and extensive links to more information.

The Illinois Health Matters website was designed by the Chicago-based ad agency Wirestone, which also designed the acclaimed ThinkBeyondTheLabel.org website, providing resources for those with disabilities who wish to enter the workforce.

What You'll Learn from Illinois Health Matters:

• Insurance companies are no longer able to cancel policies when people get sick
• Premiums are no longer based on gender or health condition
• About 194,000 Illinois small businesses with fewer than 25 employees will be eligible for tax credits to decrease the cost of providing insurance
• In 2011, 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries will start receiving free preventive care
• In 2014, all U.S. citizens and legal residents will be required to have qualifying health coverage
• In 2014, more than 1.5 million Illinois residents will be eligible for tax credits to help them buy health insurance.

 

The website will also include an "Illinois Health Matters Blog" which will feature state and national health care policy experts' opinions and comments about timely health care implementation topics.

About Health & Disability Advocates:

Health & Disability Advocates (HDA) is a state and national policy and advocacy organization that promotes income security, enhances work opportunities, and improves health care access and services for low income children, people with disabilities and older adults.  

About Wirestone, LLC:

Wirestone is a digital marketing solutions agency that specializes in helping world-class brands connect and activate their customers through the creation of insight-driven, targeted customer experiences. Wirestone is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in seven U.S. cities with 175 passionate people. Wirestone's client partners include HP, Microsoft, Nike, Oakley, Motorola, SKYY Spirits, A.C. Moore, Pabst Brewing and Simplot. Visit Wirestone.com or follow at twitter.com/Wirestone for more information. 

SOURCE Health & Disability Advocates

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://illinoishealthmatters.org/