IAFCC’s Response to the State of the State Address by Governor J.B. Pritzker on February 15th, 2023
Advocacy & Policy Efforts
The IAFCC is dedicated to supporting policies that advance our free and charitable clinics. One of the ways the IAFCC works to support policy is through the Advocacy and Policy Committee. The committee is responsible for guiding the Association in advocating for and developing policies that address the health care gaps of the underserved in Illinois. A priority of the committee will be to advocate for policies and resources that support Free and Charitable Clinics in Illinois as a valuable member of Illinois’ safety net. The committee meets every third Wednesday of the month at 11 am and is open to all members.
Past legislation the committee and the IAFCC have helped pass: In January 2022, the IAFCC was part of the collation that passed the Illinois Drug Reuse Opportunity Program also known as I-DROP. This act allows for any health care provider, or practice licensed to possess prescription drugs, such as free and charitable clinics to be able to accept donated prescriptions in the state of Illinois. More information and updates about I-DROP are available at https://www.ilrxdrugrepository.org
Additionally, the IAFCC helped pass changes to the uninsured patient discount act more information can be found on the fact sheet below. For this year 2022, the Illinois House and Senate have passed resolutions that acknowledge August as Free and Charitable Clinics Month the House resolutions can be found here and the Senate resolution here. More information about that can be found on our Free and Charitable clinics month page https://www.illinoisfreeclinics.org/what-we-do/free-charitable-clinics-month/
The IAFCC has acknowledged the importance of behavioral health and has supported policies that have passed both the house and the senate such as HB4645 which includes scholarship funds or loan repayment programs for health care workers (including behavior health workers). Through the work of the behavioral health workgroup, the IAFCC can track policies that advance our behavioral health priorities. All members interested are able to join either the advocacy and policy committee or behavioral health group please reach out to maddy@illinoisfreeeclinics.org