October 22, 1997
CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION HEARINGS SCHEDULED
SPRINGFIELD, IL -- The State Board of Health will convene a series of hearings to gather information and solicit public comments concerning the Illinois Department of Public Health’s childhood immunization program.
The first of three public hearings will be held Friday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. in Room 16-503 of the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. The second
meeting will be Dec. 11 at 1 p.m., also in Room 16-503 in the Thompson Center.
The date for the final hearing, which will be in Springfield next year, has not
yet been set.
The state board will use information from the hearings to advise Dr. John R.
Lumpkin, state public health director, on current childhood immunization
requirements and the process for establishing and revising childhood
immunization requirements.
At Friday’s public meeting, topics to be discussed include a national overview of childhood immunizations, the role of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the history and background of Illinois’ immunization program, the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, and the clinical procedures involved in immunizing children.
The second hearing will concentrate on the decision to add the hepatitis B
vaccination to school immunization requirements this year and the final hearing
will deal with comment on the current process involved in revising childhood
immunization requirements.
Either written or oral testimony will be accepted and entered into the
record.
The hearings were scheduled due to the interest expressed last spring by the
Illinois General Assembly into how different immunizations are added to school
requirements. Besides legislators, the state board has invited participation
from the Illinois Medical Society, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy
of Pediatrics, CDC, the Hepatitis Foundation and other interested groups.
The State Board of Health, which advises the public health director on health objectives, policy development, access to necessary services and needs assessment, is made up of 15 persons appointed by the governor. The board is chaired by Dr. James L. McGee, medical director of radiation oncology at St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria.
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Illinois Department
of Public Health 535 West Jefferson Street Springfield, Illinois 62761 Phone 217-782-4977 Fax 217-782-3987 TTY 800-547-0466 Questions or Comments |