E-cigarettes are now part of a state law that prohibits smoking in nearly all indoor public places. [Health News Illinois]

Gov. JB Pritzker signed the plan into law on Friday, which adds the use of alternative nicotine products and e-cigarettes to a law that bans smoking in public spaces, places of employment and within 15 feet of public entrances.

“Illinoisans deserve to enjoy public spaces without being exposed unwillingly to secondhand vapor and other electronic cigarettes byproducts,” Pritzker said in a statement.

Retail tobacco stores that derive at least 80 percent of total revenue from the sale of e-cigarette products are exempt.

Health advocates praised the law, saying it will further protect individuals from secondhand exposure to toxicants in public places.

“We commend the General Assembly for passing this important legislation and look forward to working with them to pass further public health initiative,” said Ally Lopshire, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

Prtizker also signed other healthcare-related proposals into law Friday that will:

·    Task the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Human Services with developing and administering an outdoor Rx program.

·    Establish primary goals for the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center and task the group with developing a strategic plan to address the state’s nursing workforce.

·    Clarify existing language related to the definition of abuse or criminal neglect of a long-term care facility resident.

·    Expand the definition of a “healthcare employer” to include a financial management services entity contracted with the Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities.

·    Require the state long-term care ombudsman to be notified when a resident is involuntarily transferred or discharged from a nursing home facility.

·    Require the Department of Public Health to create a pilot program so it can employ a certified plumbing inspector to perform municipal inspections.

·    Require hospitals to screen patients for financial assistance eligibility and to pursue all cost-reducing options before taking collection action against the patient.

·    Prevent health insurers, starting in 2025, from applying a higher standard of clinical evidence for the coverage of proton beam therapy than the insurer applies for the coverage of any other form of radiation therapy treatment.

·    Require the Department of Public Health to adopt rules for meeting specific standards for at-home continuing care. The department is also allowed to deny, suspend or revoke a certificate of registration for cause.

·    Expand access to those who can sell fentanyl test strips over-the-counter to pharmacists and retailers.

Create a state act outlining ways to improve quality and access to behavioral health crisis services, including requiring the Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health to determine the “sound costs” associated with developing and maintaining a statewide initiative for the coordination and delivery of the continuum of behavioral health crisis response services. 

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