Lyme Disease Task Force; duties; members

Lyme Disease Task Force; duties; members. (a) The Department shall establish the Lyme Disease Task Force to advise the Department on disease prevention and surveillance and provider and public education relating to the disease. (b) The Task Force shall consist of the Director of Public Health or a designee, who shall serve as chairman, and the following members: (1) one representative from the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, appointed by the Director of Public Health; (2) 3 physicians licensed to practice medicine in all its branches who are members of a statewide organization representing physicians, one of whom represents a medical school faculty and one of whom has the experience of treating Lyme disease, appointed by the Director of Public Health; (3) one advanced practice registered nurse selected from the recommendations of professional nursing associations, appointed by the Director of Public Health; (4) one local public health administrator, appointed by the Director of Public Health; (5) one veterinarian, who must be a practicing Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, appointed by the Director of Public Health; (6) one medical entomologist, appointed by the Director of Public Health; (7) 4 members of the public interested in Lyme disease, appointed by the Director of Public Health; (8) 2 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; (9) 2 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; (10) 2 members appointed by the President of the Senate; and (11) 2 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate. (c) The terms of the members of the Task Force shall be 3 years. Members may continue to serve after the expiration of a term until a new member is appointed. Each member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term. The council shall meet as frequently as the chairman deems necessary, but not less than 4 times each year. Members shall receive no compensation for their services. (d) The Lyme Disease Task Force has the following duties and responsibilities: (1) monitoring the implementation of this Act and providing feedback and input for necessary additions or modifications; (2) reviewing relevant literature and guidelines that define accurate diagnosis of Lyme disease with the purpose of creating cohesive and consistent guidelines for the determination of Lyme diagnosis across all counties in Illinois and with the intent of providing accurate and relevant numbers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (3) providing recommendations on professional continuing educational materials and opportunities that specifically focus on Lyme disease prevention, protection, and treatment; and (4) assisting the Department in establishing policies, procedures, techniques, and criteria for the collection, maintenance, exchange, and sharing of medical information on Lyme disease, and identifying persons or entities with Lyme disease expertise to collaborate with Department in Lyme disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. (Source: P.A. 103-328, eff. 1-1-24.)