Illinois Health Summit Releases Recommendations

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Eighteen recommendations to improve health care in rural and other underserved areas in Illinois have emerged from a statewide summit sponsored and organized by the Public Policy Institute and the School of Medicine, both part of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The recommendations envision expanded health insurance coverage, aggressive initiatives to recruit and educate health care workers, enhancement of the state's health care infrastructure and public-private partnerships to address liability issues and scrutiny of regulations to identify those that may be costly and unnecessary.

"I am delighted that legislators who participated in the summit proposed and embraced what may well be the most important recommendation -- to establish a bipartisan, bicameral task force of the Illinois General Assembly to pursue a health care agenda for rural and underserved areas of Illinois," said Michael J. Lawrence, interim director of the Public Policy Institute. "This major step reflects their commitment and willingness to lead on the issues addressed by the summit."

Participating in the summit were Rep. Patricia R. Bellock (R-Hinsdale), minority spokesperson and member of the House human services committee; Sen. James F. Clayborne Jr. (D-Belleville), chair of the Senate environment and energy committee; Rep. Willie Delgado (D-Chicago), chair of the House human services committee; Sen. Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago), vice-chairperson of the Senate health and human services committee; and Sen. Dale A. Righter (R-Mattoon), minority spokesperson and member of the Senate health and human services committee. They joined 34 others who met after the summit to develop the recommendations.

"The School of Medicine was excited to co-sponsor this health care summit because it's focus was in line with our mission to provide for the health care needs of the people of southern and central Illinois," said Dr. J. Kevin Dorsey, dean and provost of the medical school. "It provided a excellent opportunity to combine our experience and expertise with a wide array of others in the state who also are dealing with today's health care challenges."

"As a physician I know that the appropriate treatment will not be started unless the diagnosis is known. With the bipartisan support of our legislators and real attention given to these recommendations, I have great hope that we will see marked improvement in health care access as well as other improvements in the health of Illinois communities," he added.

The summit was the Public Policy Institute's last major event before the death of former Sen. Paul Simon, its founder and director. Lawrence said, "It is very appropriate that the focus was on developing and pursuing strategies to improve access to high quality health care in rural and undeserved areas. Paul cared deeply about the issue and these recommendations represent the product of the working group that he chaired."

All of the recommendations are being circulated by the Public Policy Institute and the School of Medicine through it various publications. Copies are being sent to each member of the Illinois General Assembly.

In addition to the legislators, the other participants in the work group were - Dr. Rodney Alford, Med-Peds Associates; Linda Renee Baker, SIU Public Policy Institute; Dr. Ann M. Boyle, SIUE School of Dental Medicine; Greg Chance, Ill. Rural Health Association; J. Anthony Clark, Ill. Dept. of Insurance; Mary Jane Clark, Ill. Institute for Rural Affairs; Dr. Kristin Coyle, Ill. Academy of Family Practitioners (IAFP); Kelly Cunningham, Ill. Dept. on Aging; Jack Daniels, Ph.D., Lincoln Land Community College; Mark Deaton, Ill. Hospital Association; Dorsey; Dale Flach, University of Illinois (UI) College of Medicine-Rockford; Chuck Fluharty, Rural Policy Research Institute; Dr. David Hagan, IAFP; Dr. John Halvorsen, UI College of Medicine-Peoria; Carolyn Brown Hodge, Lt. Governor's office; Fred Isberner, SIUC College of Applied Sciences and Arts; Dr. Jerry Kruse, SIU School of Medicine; Marcia Maurer, SIU School of Nursing; Philip Medon, SIUE School of Pharmacy; Roman Moore III, Office of the Governor; Dr. Randy Mullin, Ill. State Medical Society (ISMS); Ann Marie Murphy, Ill. Dept. of Public Aid; Jim Nelson, Ill. Public Health Assoc.; George O'Neill, Shawnee Health Services; Dr. Debra Phillips, SIU Quincy Family Practice Center; Mary Ring, IL Dept. of Public Health; Ken Ryan, ISMS; Ralph Schubert, Ill. Dept. of Human Services; David Sniff, National Rural Health Association; Harry Wolin, Mason District Hospital; Carmen Velasquez, Alvio Medical Center; Norman Walzer, Ill. Institute for Rural Affairs; and Dr. Eric Whitaker, Ill. Dept. of Public Health.

Copies of the report are available online at www.siu.edu/~ppi/reports.htm .

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Recommendations from a Health Summit, November 2003, Springfield, IL
"Charting A Health Care Agenda: Strategies for Rural and Underserved Illinois"
Sponsored by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine & Public Policy Institute

1. Establish a bipartisan, bicameral Task Force of the Illinois General Assembly to pursue a health care agenda for rural and underserved areas of Illinois.

2. Examine models for public-private partnerships that can expand health insurance coverage to the state's uninsured and working poor.

3. Perform a comprehensive Rural Impact Study of state agency regulations to identify and modify those that have a disproportionately negative effect on both health care providers and consumers in rural and underserved areas.

4. Convene a summit on medical liability issues, bringing together the Governor, the General Assembly, practitioners, insurance companies, trial lawyers and citizens for a direct, honest and productive conversation that results in an action plan.

5. Create a funding mechanism to foster the development and expansion of health professions education programs specifically targeted at increasing the number of minority students and students from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds.

6. In partnership with the health care industry, develop new workplace based, inter-disciplinary models for educating allied health professionals locally.

7. Provide funding for bilingual and bicultural education of health care professionals.

8. Encourage the Illinois Board of Higher Education to provide funding that supports interdisciplinary training of health care workers at all levels of the educational pipeline.

9. Explore transplanting successful programs nationwide that demonstrate best practices for recruiting and retaining health care professionals for rural and underserved areas.

10. Re-examine policies pertaining to Illinois Department of Public Health scholarships and loan forgiveness programs to not only assist students entering health care professions but also to provide a tool to retain qualified workers in rural and underserved areas of Illinois.
11. Maintain and upgrade the public health infrastructure in Illinois that provides both prevention and primary health services in rural and underserved areas.

12. Address the mental health needs of rural and underserved populations, including persons who are incarcerated, on parole or probation, or otherwise involved in the Illinois correctional system.

13. Support program and policy directions that help build infrastructure for oral health care services in rural and underserved areas of the state.

14. Design a transportation system, building upon some existing regional configuration like those of the EMS system, to improve access to health care services in rural and underserved areas.

15. Support the expansion of telecommunications technologies that enhance health professions education and health services delivery.
16. Explore the use of school based clinics to extend health care services for children in rural and underserved areas.

17. Create a constructive and coordinated methodology for paying for telemedicine services that is equitable for both receiving and sending facilities.

18. Analyze federal funding factors and formulas to determine disparate impact on rural and underserved areas of Illinois.