New laws
Wednesday, Aug 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A bill requiring student ID cards to include suicide prevention hotline numbers — legislation proposed by a Naperville Central High School teen and her student-led organization — has been signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“It’s amazing just to see the impact it will have on over 1 million students,” said Aparna Ramakrishnan, who came up with the idea after seeing something similar on her sister’s college ID. “It will provide easy resources that could be life saving.”
All school IDs issued for junior/middle school, high school and college/university students will be required to include the suicide prevention information starting in the 2022-23 school year.
* Press release…
Illinois Doctors Support Governor Pritzker for Snuffing Out Youth Vaping!
Statement Attributable to Illinois State Medical Society President Regan Thomas, MD
The Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) has a long history of opposing smoking in any form, so are grateful to see the governor and state legislature acting to prohibit underage persons from engaging in the use of electronic cigarettes. This new law, supported by ISMS, seeks to stop the dramatic rise in teenage smoking rates by increasing the state and local law enforcements’ ability to crack down on persons who sell or distribute electronic cigarettes and other vaping products to anyone under the age of 21. It also targets those industries that include dangerous flavored additives and market those products in a manner attractive to kids.
The scientific evidence is clear and has been for nearly 60 years – smoking and tobacco use of any kind is harmful to one’s health. One of the most important steps we can take to improve the health of young people is to stop them from starting to use tobacco products of any kind.
* Press release yesterday…
Today Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker celebrated the passage of critical legislation that expands contraceptive care for thousands of Illinois women who lack access to high-quality reproductive health services. Senate Bill 697 expands the Illinois Medicaid plan, through enactment of a Family Planning State Plan Amendment, so that individuals who don’t qualify for full-benefit Medicaid still have coverage for preventive contraceptive care.
Illinois Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!) is an organization that works to close the contraceptive coverage gap in Illinois through an integrated model of health care that lowers financial barriers for patients. 1 in 4 reproductive-aged women in Illinois still have an unmet need for contraceptive services. In the first year, ICAN! estimates that 70,000 individuals who otherwise would not qualify for traditional Medicaid will become eligible for coverage that will include contraceptive services and supplies, as well as preventive care (such as STI or cervical cancer screenings).
Below is a quote from Kai Tao, Principal with ICAN!:
“The Family Planning SPA supports individuals’ rights to decide if and when to be pregnant while removing the burden of any financial barriers related to accessing all FDA contraceptive methods,” said Kai Tao, Principal, Illinois Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!). “It is a fiscally prudent policy as the federal government covers 90% of expenses for all family planning services while the state is responsible for the remaining 10%. Most importantly, the SPA is crucial to expanding family planning services to BIPOC communities and rural areas. ICAN! is committed to improving contraceptive quality so care is trauma informed, respectful, unconscious-bias checked, evidence-based, and reproductive well-being centered.”
- Katie Thiede - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 9:03 am:
Thank you so much for sharing this! Please note that the bill number is SB 967.
- Henry Francis - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 9:37 am:
What does it say about our society when we feel that the risk of our children killing themselves is so high that we need to put a helpline phone number on their IDs.
- Interim Retiree - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 9:52 am:
–What does it say about our society when we feel that the risk of our children killing themselves is so high that we need to put a helpline phone number on their IDs.–
It says we value saving lives, at least to me.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 9:57 am:
===What does it say about our society when we feel that the risk of our children killing themselves is so high that we need to put a helpline phone number on their IDs.===
If it saves ONE student, or gives one student pause to seek help… it’s says society values children.
- Scott Cross for President - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 10:15 am:
OW @ 9:57: +1
Henry Francis:
I’ll ask my kids their opinions of “our society” as soon as they come out from under their desks and the live shooter drill ends.
- Henry Francis - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 10:16 am:
I didn’t say anything about the law being wrong.
If society values children, putting a phone number on an ID card is a pretty small thing to do.
If society truly values children, why do so many of them not want to live in this society? That is my point. I can’t think of anything more tragic than a child wanting to end their life. This is a truly damning illustration of how our society has evolved.
Per CDC statistics, after being stable from 2000 to 2007, suicide rates for persons aged 10-24 increased from 6.8 per 100,000 in 2007 to 10.6 in 2017. That’s over 50% increase. And these are the numbers pre-COVID.
- Frank talks - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 11:44 am:
Henry- many factors can contribute that weren’t around 50 years ago. Kids have so much more stress than even the 70’s and 80’s. Kids today have more knowledge, good and bad, at their fingertips then any generation has ever had. Social media has increased bullying, shaming and hate more than ever, due to the ease at which it can be accomplished.
Having as many resources as possible to let kids know mental health is important is a benefit.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 11:48 am:
=== If society values children, putting a phone number on an ID card is a pretty small thing to do.===
So doing nothing is… worse… or not?
=== Per CDC statistics, after being stable from 2000 to 2007, suicide rates for persons aged 10-24 increased from 6.8 per 100,000 in 2007 to 10.6 in 2017. That’s over 50% increase. And these are the numbers pre-COVID.===
I’m glad that at least a resource will be able to be seen that was not before.
We need more compassion not restraints on the measure or value of any option.
- Henry Francis - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 12:33 pm:
Sigh
I don’t know why you ignore the point of my comment, and instead knock down straw man arguments that you created. Nowhere in my comments do I comment on the appropriateness of the law. In fact I explicitly stated “I didn’t say anything about the law being wrong”.
Your response ==So doing nothing is … worse…or not?== is deliberately obtuse. Don’t try to color my comments in your childish shade.
The only point of my original comment was what a sad commentary on our society. You want to find fault with that? Have at it.
- Dotnonymous - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 12:43 pm:
“This is a truly damning illustration of how our society has evolved.” - Henry Francis
I could not agree more…well said.
- Dotnonymous - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 1:06 pm:
A World where children choose death over life is a fearsome and terrified place…how very depressing and sorrowful?…so much as to discourage any conversation around causes and potential solutions?
- One of Three Puppets - Wednesday, Aug 25, 21 @ 2:47 pm:
I am glad that you highlighted the suicide prevention bill. But the bill the Tribune referenced does not go into effect until July 1, 2022.
Rep. Marron and Sen. Bennett passed HB 597 which was signed back in July and it is now PA 102-134. It had an effective date of July 1, 2021. So, student IDs are already doing this. In fact, my children’s IDs already have this information printed on their cards because of Marron’s and Bennett’s bill.
Additionally, Rep. Marron introduced (HB 5289) this proposal during the last GA after he was approached by someone that saw friends impacted by this horrible issue back in January of 2020. Unfortunately, COVID hit and did not allow for the bill to be moved until this session.
I write this only to say that this has been an issue that many have worked on and we certainly can do more.