Illinois § 15

§ 15.

Grant program. (a) Subject to appropriations for that purpose, the Department shall establish and administer a grant program to implement this Act. (b) The Department shall do the following: (1) Publicize the availability of funds and establish an application process for submitting a grant proposal. (2) Provide technical assistance and training, including a statewide meeting promoting best practice programs, as requested, to grant recipients. (3) Develop uniform data reporting requirements for the purpose of evaluating the performance of the grant recipients and demonstrating improved health outcomes. (4) Develop a monitoring process to evaluate progress toward meeting grant objectives. (5) Coordinate with the Illinois Department of Human Services and existing community-based programs, such as chronic disease community intervention programs, cancer prevention and control programs, diabetes control programs, the Children's Health Insurance (KidCare) Program, the HIV/AIDS program, immunization programs, and other related programs at the State and local levels, to avoid duplication of effort and promote consistency. (c) The Office of Minority Health within the Department shall establish measurable outcomes to achieve the goal of reducing health disparities in the following priority areas: asthma; breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer screening; kidney disease; HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; sexually transmitted diseases; adult and child immunizations; cardiovascular disease; and accidental injuries and violence. The Office of Minority Health shall enhance current data tools to ensure a statewide assessment of the risk behaviors associated with the health disparity priority areas identified in this subsection. To the extent feasible, the Office shall conduct the assessment so that the results may be compared to national data. (d) The Director may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee to: examine areas where public awareness, public education, research, and coordination regarding racial and ethnic health outcome disparities are lacking; consider access and transportation issues that contribute to health status disparities; and make recommendations for closing gaps in health outcomes and increasing the public's awareness and understanding of health disparities that exist between racial and ethnic populations. (Source: P.A. 94-447, eff. 1-1-06.)