2023 Illinois Compiled Statutes › Chapter 410 - PUBLIC HEALTH › 410 ILCS 65/ - Illinois Rural/Downstate Health Act.

(410 ILCS 65/1) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8051)
Sec. 1. 
		This Act may be cited as the Illinois Rural/Downstate Health Act.
(Source: P.A. 86-965; 86-1187.)
(410 ILCS 65/2) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8052)
Sec. 2. 
		
		The General Assembly finds that citizens in the rural, downstate
and designated shortage areas of this State are increasingly faced with
problems in accessing necessary health care. The closure of small rural
hospitals, the inability of these areas to attract new physicians, the
elimination of  existing physician services because of increasing practice
costs, including the cost of providing malpractice insurance, and the lack
of systems of emergency medical care contribute to the access problems
experienced by these residents. While Illinois is not unique
in experiencing
these problems, the need to maintain or enhance the economies of these
areas of the State requires that new and innovative strategies be
identified and implemented to respond to the health care needs of residents
of these areas. It is therefore the intent of this General Assembly to
create a program to respond to this problem.
For purposes of this Act, "designated shortage areas" means medically
underserved areas or health manpower shortage area as defined by the
United States Department of Health and Human Services or as otherwise
designated by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
(Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)
(410 ILCS 65/3) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8053)
Sec. 3. 
		
		The Illinois Department of Public Health shall establish a
downstate health care program as a component of primary care development. The
Department shall create a Center for Rural Health to coordinate programs
and activities within the agency relating to access to health care in rural
areas and designated shortage areas. The Center may work with universities,
private foundations, health care providers or other interested
organizations, private foundations, health care providers or other
interested organizations on innovative strategies to respond to the health
care needs of residents of these areas.
The Center shall cooperate with Southern Illinois University programs and
services that respond to the health care needs of residents of downstate
areas, including but not limited to the development of primary care
centers, the development of obstetrical care centers through affiliation
with hospitals and clinics, and the conduct of health research and evaluation.
The Center shall cooperate with University of Illinois programs and
services that respond to the health care needs of residents of downstate
areas, including but not limited to:  developing innovative educational
strategies designed to graduate primary care physicians, especially family
physicians, for all Illinois, particularly the rural underserved areas;
developing primary care centers with comprehensive care, including
emergency and obstetric care through affiliation with hospitals and
clinics; and conducting health research and evaluation.
(Source: P.A. 86-965; 86-1187; 87-1162.)
(410 ILCS 65/3.1) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8053.1)
Sec. 3.1. 
		
		Southern Illinois University shall expand its focus on rural
health care as a component of health professions education programs on its
several campuses, including, but not limited to, its programs in medicine,
nursing, dentistry, and technical careers, and through research and
technical assistance programs.  The University shall further encourage the
regional outreach mission of its School of Medicine through the
establishment of a dedicated administrative entity within the School with
responsibility for rural health care planning and programming.  The
University may work with communities, state agencies, other colleges and
universities, private foundations, health care providers, and other
interested organizations on innovative strategies to respond to the health
care needs of residents of rural areas.
The University shall have the authority:
(a) To establish such clinical centers as may be necessary to carry out
the intent of this Act according to the following priorities:
(1) Preference for programs which are designed to     facilitate the education of health professions students.
(2) Preference for programs established in locations     which exhibit potential for locating physicians in health manpower shortage areas.
(3) Preference for programs which are located away     from communities in which medical school and residency programs are located.
(4) Preference for programs which are geographically     distributed throughout downstate Illinois.
(b) To receive and disburse funds in accordance with the purpose stated
in Section 2 of this Act.
(c) To enter into contracts or agreements with any agency or department
of the State of Illinois or the United States to carry out the provisions
of this Act.
(Source: P.A. 86-1187.)
(410 ILCS 65/3.2) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8053.2)
Sec. 3.2. 
		
		The University of Illinois shall expand its focus on
enrolling, training, and graduating primary care physicians, particularly
family physicians.  Both the undergraduate programs and the postgraduate
Family Practice Residency Program may increase their service and training
commitments in order to provide health care to additional sites in rural
underserved areas.  The College of Medicine shall by means of recruitment
and by means of special undergraduate tracks and satellite residency
programs, graduate family physicians to serve in rural underserved areas.
The University shall further attempt to meet the needs of the residents of
rural Illinois by establishing administrative entities to coordinate
service, education and research in primary care and may work with
communities, State agencies, other colleges and universities, private
foundations, health care providers and other interested organizations on
innovative strategies to respond to the challenges of producing more
primary care physicians, particularly family physicians, for the rural
underserved areas.
The University shall have the authority:
(1) to establish such clinical and educational centers as may be
necessary to carry out the intent of this Act according to the following priorities:
(A) preference for programs which are designed to     enroll, educate and facilitate the graduation of primary care physicians particularly family physicians for rural underserved Illinois.
(B) preference for the establishment of education and     service programs both for graduate and undergraduate students in health manpower shortage areas in Illinois according to the needs of the residents.
(C) preference for programs established in locations     which exhibit potential for locating physicians in health manpower shortage areas.
(D) preference for programs which require     comprehensive primary care services, including emergency and obstetric care, which can most appropriately be serviced by family physicians.
(E) preference for programs which require the health     care team in the meeting of residents' medical needs.
(F) preference for programs which involved networking     with other agencies, organizations and institutions which have similar objectives.
(G) preference for programs which are geographically     situated in manpower underserved areas.
(2) to receive and disburse funds in accordance with the purpose stated
in Section 2 of this Act.
(3) to enter into contracts or agreements with any agency or department of
the State of Illinois or the United States to carry out the provisions of this
Act.
(Source: P.A. 87-1162.)
(410 ILCS 65/4) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8054)
Sec. 4. 
		The Center shall have the authority:
(a) To assist rural communities and communities in designated shortage
areas by providing technical assistance to community leaders in defining
their specific health care needs and identifying strategies to address
those needs.
(b) To link rural communities and communities in designated shortage
areas with other units in the Department or other State agencies which can
assist in the solution of a health care access problem.
(c) To maintain and disseminate information on innovative  health care
strategies, either directly or indirectly.
(d) To administer State or federal grant programs relating to rural
health or medically underserved areas established by State or federal
law for which funding has been made available.
(e) To promote the development of primary care services in rural areas
and designated shortage areas. Subject to available appropriations, the
Department may annually award grants of up to $300,000 each to enable the
health services in those areas to offer multi-service comprehensive
ambulatory care, thereby improving access to primary care services.
Grants may cover operational and facility construction and renovation
expenses, including but not limited to the cost of personnel, medical
supplies and equipment, patient transportation, and health provider
recruitment. The Department shall prescribe by rule standards and
procedures for the provision of local matching funds in relation to each
grant application. Grants provided under this paragraph (e) shall be in
addition to support and assistance provided under subsection (a) of Section
2310-200 of the
Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law (20 ILCS
2310/2310-200).  Eligible
applicants
shall include,
but not be limited to, community-based organizations, hospitals, local
health departments, and Community Health Centers as defined in Section 4.1
of this Act.
(f) To annually
provide grants from available appropriations to hospitals located in
medically underserved areas or health manpower shortage areas as defined by
the United States Department of Health and Human Services, whose governing
boards include significant representation of consumers of hospital services
residing in the area served by the hospital, and which agree not to
discriminate in any way against any consumer of hospital services based
upon the consumer's source of payment for those services. Grants that may
be awarded under this paragraph (f) shall be limited to $500,000 and shall
not exceed 50% of the total project need indicated in each application.
Expenses covered by the grants may include but are not limited to facility
renovation, equipment acquisition and maintenance, recruitment of health
personnel, diversification of services, and joint venture arrangements.
(g) To establish a recruitment center which shall actively recruit
physicians and other health care practitioners to participate in the
program, maintain contacts with participating practitioners, actively
promote health care professional practice in designated shortage areas,
assist in matching the skills of participating medical students with the
needs of community health centers in designated shortage areas, and assist
participating medical students in locating in designated shortage areas.
(h) To assist communities in designated shortage areas find alternative
services or temporary health care providers when existing health care
providers are called into active duty with the armed forces of the United
States.
(i) To develop, in cooperation with the Illinois Finance
Authority, financing programs whose goals and purposes shall be to provide
moneys to carry out the purpose of this Act, including, but not limited to,
revenue bond programs, revolving loan programs, equipment leasing programs, and
working cash programs.  The Department may transfer to the Illinois
Finance Authority, into an account outside of the State treasury, moneys in
special funds of the Department for the purposes of establishing those
programs.  The disposition of any moneys so transferred shall be determined by
an interagency agreement.
(Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 93-205, eff. 1-1-04.)
(410 ILCS 65/4.1) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8054.1)
Sec. 4.1. 
		
		The Center may make grants under a Community Health Center
Program ("Program") to assist existing community health centers and to
encourage the development of new community health centers in designated
shortage areas. Grants may be made for purposes including, but not limited
to, assistance in the recruitment and retention of medical professionals,
purchase of new equipment, operational expenses, facility construction and
renovation, and outreach programs for medically underserved populations.
The Program shall avoid duplicating resources in areas where primary health
care services are already available. For purposes of this Section,
"community health center" includes: (1) migrant health centers or community
health centers or health care for the homeless programs supported under
Section 329, 330, or 340 of the federal Public Health Service Act,
respectively; and (2) Federally Qualified Health Centers as designated by
the federal Health Care Financing Administration or Illinois Department of
Public Health. For purpose of this Section, "designated shortage area"
means a medically underserved area or health manpower shortage area as
defined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services or as
otherwise designated by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
(Source: P.A. 86-1187.)
(410 ILCS 65/5) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 8055)
Sec. 5. 
		
		The Department shall establish a downstate health demonstration
grant program, funded from appropriations available for such purpose, to
initiate innovative proposals to respond to access problems in medically
underserved rural areas and in designated shortage areas. The Department
shall designate those rural areas that qualify as medically underserved
for this purpose.
(Source: P.A. 86-965; 86-1187.)
(410 ILCS 65/5.5)
Sec. 5.5. Rural/Downstate Health Access Fund.
(a) The
Rural/Downstate Health Access Fund is created as a special fund in the State
treasury.  Moneys from fees and gifts, grants, or donations made to the Center for Rural
Health shall be deposited into the Fund.  Subject to appropriation and except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section, moneys in
the Fund shall be used in the following manner for rural health
programs or for programs for the medically underserved authorized under this Act:  60.2% shall be distributed to the
Department of Public Health, 26.3% shall be distributed to the Board of
Trustees of Southern Illinois University, and 13.5% shall be distributed to the
Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
(b) The Center for Rural Health at the Department of Public Health may require that a J-1 Visa Waiver
Program application fee be collected from international medical graduates for the purpose of administering the Program. J-1 Visa Waiver
Program application fees shall be deposited into the
Rural/Downstate Health Access Fund, shall be dedicated to the
administration of the J-1 Visa Waiver Program in Illinois,
and may not be subject to the distribution formula referenced
in subsection (a) of this Section.
(c) The Center for Rural Health
shall administer the Fund.
(d) The Department shall adopt rules necessary to implement the provisions of this Section.
(Source: P.A. 98-1006, eff. 1-1-15.)