March 9, 1998

SPRINGFIELD, IL -- The State Board of Health will hold a public hearing in Marion on Thursday, March 12, to solicit public comments on Illinois' childhood immunization requirements.

The public hearing, the third in a series of four, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the conference room of the State Regional Office Building, 2309 W. Main St.

The state board will use testimony gathered at the hearing 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.

Either written or oral testimony will be accepted and entered into the record.

A final public hearing will be held in Springfield on Thursday, March 26. Previously, public hearings were conducted in Chicago on Oct. 24 and Dec. 11.

The hearings were scheduled due to interest by the Illinois General Assembly last spring about how different immunizations are added to school attendance requirements. The state board has heard testimony from the public, legislators, physicians, the Illinois State Medical Society, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Hepatitis Foundation.

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.

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