HEPATITIS B VAC-SUPPORT

Encourages healthcare providers, hospitals, community health centers, pharmacies, and the Illinois Department of Public Health to promote the hepatitis B vaccination as a highly effective and safe public health measure and help increase public awareness about the importance of receiving a hepatitis B vaccination and expand access and awareness of hepatitis testing and treatment options. Encourages the Illinois Department of Public Health, healthcare providers, and patients/community representatives to develop or amend an effective and actionable state hepatitis B strategic plan, focused on areas such as immunization, screening, and linkage to care, which will align stakeholders on shared objectives and efforts to facilitate broad screening, vaccine, and treatment availability and access with comparable initiatives in other states (i.e., New York Viral Hepatitis Strategic Plan) used as guiding models for plan development. Encourages the Illinois Department of Health to establish a hepatitis B working group to develop measurable goals on which to center the hepatitis B strategic plan with goals that may include but are not limited to strengthening immunization infrastructure, improving coverage policies, assessing vaccine administration fees, increasing community demand, improving vaccine confidence, and promoting health equity initiatives to improve vaccine, screening and treatment uptake.