Bill Text: IL HR0579 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Supports the accreditation of the University of Illinois Cancer Center (UICC) as an additional NCI-designated cancer center in Illinois, which will be focused and driven to characterize and eliminate disparities in cancer outcomes.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-12 - Placed on Calendar Order of Resolutions [HR0579 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0579-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, Illinois has the sixth highest cancer mortality | ||||||
3 | in the country and is among the group of states with the | ||||||
4 | largest socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and rural disparities | ||||||
5 | in stage at diagnosis, mortality, and outcomes in the nation; | ||||||
6 | and
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7 | WHEREAS, The University of Illinois Cancer Center (UICC) | ||||||
8 | has striven to reduce and eliminate inequalities in cancer | ||||||
9 | outcomes through community-driven, scientific solutions for | ||||||
10 | equitable outcomes in screening, diagnosis, treatment, and | ||||||
11 | survivorship; and
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12 | WHEREAS, UICC and partners have addressed cancer | ||||||
13 | disparities for more than 30 years in a variety of ways, | ||||||
14 | including with basic science to identify mechanisms of | ||||||
15 | disparities, in translational science to test new treatments | ||||||
16 | that can eliminate disparities, and in population science to | ||||||
17 | test multilevel strategies that address structural, social, | ||||||
18 | and behavioral drivers of cancer disparities in communities, | ||||||
19 | federally qualified health centers, and safety net settings; | ||||||
20 | and
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21 | WHEREAS, UICC's demonstrated scientific excellence and | ||||||
22 | capability for cancer health equity has always been centered |
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1 | in genuine, bidirectional relationships across community, | ||||||
2 | healthcare, government, and academic sectors; and
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3 | WHEREAS, UICC is uniquely positioned to address cancer | ||||||
4 | equity through outreach, practice, and science, given its | ||||||
5 | Majority Minority Representation in Research, including | ||||||
6 | possessing primarily minority and low-income participant | ||||||
7 | representation through tissue biorepositories, clinical | ||||||
8 | trials, and public health studies focused on ensuring | ||||||
9 | innovations in prevention, early detection, treatment, and | ||||||
10 | cures for cancer have equitable effects and access, which are | ||||||
11 | made possible through quality, affordable cancer care | ||||||
12 | available under the University of Illinois Hospital & Health | ||||||
13 | Sciences System, from equitable, low or no-cost hereditary | ||||||
14 | risk assessment and genetic services to equitable precision | ||||||
15 | oncology treatments and survivorship; and
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16 | WHEREAS, UICC is committed to the expansion of its | ||||||
17 | infrastructure throughout the State of Illinois, an | ||||||
18 | infrastructure that is centered on eradicating disparities in | ||||||
19 | cancer care access and outcomes, which leverages its | ||||||
20 | application for National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation; | ||||||
21 | and
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22 | WHEREAS, NCI designation is an accreditation given by the | ||||||
23 | National Institutes of Health to elite U.S.-based medical and |
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1 | laboratory institutions to demonstrate that these institutions | ||||||
2 | are leaders in addressing the nation's cancer burden through | ||||||
3 | research; and
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4 | WHEREAS, NCI-designated cancer centers provide economic | ||||||
5 | benefits for their communities, with the potential of over $1 | ||||||
6 | billion in economic impact, by creating thousands of middle | ||||||
7 | and high-wage jobs, recruiting world-class physicians and | ||||||
8 | scientists, partnering with private corporations, and | ||||||
9 | attracting philanthropic donations and with the ability to | ||||||
10 | secure millions of dollars in additional funding for cancer | ||||||
11 | research through exclusive partnerships with the National | ||||||
12 | Institutes of Health; and
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13 | WHEREAS, NCI-designated cancer centers offer significant | ||||||
14 | benefits for communities, including federal funding that UICC | ||||||
15 | would use for equity-driven, inclusive training and elevation | ||||||
16 | of the next generation of diverse healthcare workers and | ||||||
17 | researchers, providing education in STEM programs and | ||||||
18 | mentorship opportunities, and producing a diverse, stable, | ||||||
19 | future healthcare workforce focused on historically | ||||||
20 | underserved communities; and
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21 | WHEREAS, NCI-designated cancer centers benefit from | ||||||
22 | additional funding and resources to optimize infrastructure | ||||||
23 | for community outreach and engagement, including multilevel |
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1 | enhancements for cancer education of evidence-based | ||||||
2 | information to communities, technical assistance for | ||||||
3 | healthcare systems, including federally qualified health | ||||||
4 | centers and safety net facilities to enhance the quality of | ||||||
5 | affordable, accessible primary and specialty cancer care, and | ||||||
6 | training for community members and leaders to be embedded in | ||||||
7 | science as partners and decision-makers to characterize and | ||||||
8 | eliminate cancer disparities; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Patients cared for by NCI-designated cancer | ||||||
10 | centers have lower mortality rates, and said cancer centers | ||||||
11 | are at the forefront of developing, testing, and scaling | ||||||
12 | cutting-edge, novel tools, therapies, and innovations for | ||||||
13 | their communities and beyond; and
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14 | WHEREAS, NCI designation for UICC would have the | ||||||
15 | institution join the distinguished ranks of two existing | ||||||
16 | NCI-designated cancer centers in the State of Illinois, | ||||||
17 | Northwestern University and the University of Chicago; having | ||||||
18 | three NCI-designated cancer centers, each with significant | ||||||
19 | resources, would result in major cumulative growth and | ||||||
20 | significant increases in the economic, educational, community, | ||||||
21 | and health benefits for the State and its communities; and
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22 | WHEREAS, An additional NCI cancer center, unique in its | ||||||
23 | focus on cancer disparities through community engagement, has |
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1 | significant potential to reduce cancer burden by increasing | ||||||
2 | access to the continuum of quality cancer care through | ||||||
3 | partnerships across the State and by the implementation of a | ||||||
4 | community-to-bench model, where communities guide and partner | ||||||
5 | with providers and researchers to ensure science is inspired | ||||||
6 | by and reflects community needs, priorities, and strengths; | ||||||
7 | therefore, be it
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8 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
9 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
10 | we support the accreditation of the University of Illinois | ||||||
11 | Cancer Center (UICC) as an additional NCI-designated cancer | ||||||
12 | center in Illinois, which will be focused and driven to | ||||||
13 | characterize and eliminate disparities in cancer outcomes; and | ||||||
14 | be it further
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