Ensuring the health and safety of Illinois families has long
been the hallmark of Rep. Michael McAuliffe’s tenure in the Illinois General
Assembly. This session McAuliffe has introduced two bills intended to improve
health outcomes for Illinois women and children.
One piece of legislation now moving through the General
Assembly removes the obstacles to the implementation of newborn screenings.
Early identification of certain disorders means children
will get treatment before the disease progresses and causes irreparable harm.
In some instances it will even save lives. One of those disorders is Krabbe
disease, a rare neurological illness that is treatable if caught soon after a baby
is born but which can be deadly if not treated early.
In 2007, Krabbe disease was added to the list of mandated
newborn screenings in Illinois, but procurement policies hampered the administration
of the critical tests. Since then, five children in Illinois have died of
Krabbe disease. If passed, McAuliffe’s
legislation will remove the roadblocks that prevented the implementation of
newborn screenings and will hopefully avert future complications and deaths. Read more about this important legislation here.
Another McAuliffe healthcare measure advancing in the House
is designed to ensure early detection of breast cancer for women who previously
were not aware that their mammogram results were inconclusive.
We all know that early detection and treatment of cancer can
mean better outcomes for patients. Many women undergo regular mammography
screenings in an effort to identify breast cancer at an early stage, when it is
most treatable. However, mammography does not always yield accurate results in
women with dense breast tissue. In some cases women were told they had a clean
mammogram only to later be diagnosed with breast cancer that could have been
managed better if caught earlier. Had
they known they had dense breast tissue and the results may not have been
accurate they could have pursued other testing options.
McAuliffe’s legislation will require mammography providers
to notify women that they have dense breast tissue and advise them to discuss
supplemental tests and imaging with their doctor to obtain more accurate
results. Read more here.
These are just two of several pieces of legislation that McAuliffe has championed over the years to ensure good health outcomes for Illinoisans. We are fortunate to have him working on our behalf.
These are just two of several pieces of legislation that McAuliffe has championed over the years to ensure good health outcomes for Illinoisans. We are fortunate to have him working on our behalf.