Summer 2010
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With Senator Mattie Hunter


Girlfriends - springtime is here and spring brings about new challenges, new ideas and rejuvenating activities! While we prepare to do some spring cleaning and sharpen up those ruff edges in our lives and homes we can also spruce up our plans to become healthier individuals.

Good health is a major concern of our government and many laws are being enacted and measures put in place to help all of us become healthier individuals. We are moving forward to improve education and treatment for expectant mothers, provide funding for education and preventative measures for cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, etc. As we move forward, we all have to work together to make change happen.

In the State of Illinois we have begun passing laws to fund education, increase awareness and provide preventative measures for people in our communities. I am a strong advocate of living a healthy lifestyle and am proud to be a part of some key legislation aimed at improving health care
awareness and making good healthcare available to everyone.

Following is a list and brief description of some of the legislation passed in the State Legislature that I sponsored or co-sponsored:

Men’s Health

Co-Sponsor of House Bill 199 (Public Act 093-0122)
• Requires the Department of Public Health to make
public service announcements that publicize the
importance of prostate cancer screening for men over
the age of 40.

Co-Sponsor of House Bill 615 (Public Act 094-0447)
• Requires the Department of Public Health to
establish and administer a program of grants to
stimulate the development of community-based and
neighborhood-based projects that will improve the
health outcomes of racial and ethnic populations.

• Requires the Office of Minority Health within IDPH to
establish measurable outcomes to achieve the goal
of reducing health disparities in certain priority areas,
including breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer
screening; kidney disease; HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; sexually
transmitted diseases; adult and child immunizations.

Mental Health

Co-Sponsor of Senate Bill 1664 (Public Act 093-0122)
• Creates Community Service Commission. The
commission will look into new ways to fund community
mental health and rehabilitation services and make sure
that they provide people with quality care.

Co-Sponsor of Senate Bill 15(Public Act 095-0469)
• Improves education and treatment programs about
perinatal (during and after pregnancy) mental health
disorders in Illinois. The bill expands mental health
care services and helps to safeguard the health of new
moms and their babies.

High Blood Pressure/Stroke Related Legislation

Sponsor of Senate Bill 1776
n Requires the Department of Human Services to
coordinate diabetes prevention and treatment
programs unanimously passed the Senate today.
Under Senate Bill 1776, a designated employee from
the Department of Human Services will work with
State agencies to coordinate all diabetes related
programs. The employee will also work to reduce
duplication efforts and maximize the impact of
diabetes related programs.

As a community, let’s sharpen our knowledge and
blossom into a fine tuned health-focused instrument.