PUBLIC HEARINGS TO BE HELD ON HEALTH CARE JUSTICE ACT

PUBLIC HEARINGS TO BE HELD ON HEALTH CARE JUSTICE ACT

SPRINGFIELD , Ill. – Public hearings on the development of a statewide comprehensive health care access plan will be held next week in two Chicago congressional districts.

A public hearing in the 4th Congressional District will be held Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the Pulaski Park Auditorium, 1419 W. Blackhawk St., on the first floor. The 7th Congressional District hearing will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19, in the second-floor student lounge of John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, 1900 W. Polk St.

The Health Care Justice Act, which was signed into law last year by Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, created a 29-member Adequate Health Care Task Force and stipulated that public hearings be held in each of Illinois’ 19 congressional districts to seek public input on development of the access plan. State representatives and senators located in each of the congressional districts are invited to participate in the hearing and to help gather input from interested parties.

The 4 th Congressional District is represented by U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and the 7 th Congressional District is represented by U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Ill.

At the hearings, which will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the public can provide testimony regarding access to, and quality and affordability of health care. Each individual has three minutes to testify and will speak in the order in which they sign up.

Those who wish to submit written testimony may do so in three ways:

By mail – Send written testimony (typed, double-spaced, 8.5” x 11” paper) to Tracy Morgan, Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Health Policy, 525 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, IL 62761.
In-person – Bring two copies of your written testimony (typed, double-spaced, 8.5” x 11” paper) to the public hearing and present it to staff signing up those who wish to testify.
Electronically – E-mail your written testimony (as an attachment) to Tracy Morgan, Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Health Policy at tmorgan@idph.state.il.us.

Spanish language translation services will be available at both hearings.

The task force’s plan, which is due to the General Assembly in 2006, must provide all Illinois residents with access to a full-range of preventive, acute and long-term health care services.