Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Health Care
Durbin, Cassidy Introduce Legislation To Support Leading Rehab Facilities
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today introduced bipartisan legislation to support rehabilitation facilities that lead the nation in medical research and complex treatment. The Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act recognizes the unique role that a leading class of rehabilitation facilities play in our health care system, by driving innovative research for the entire field, providing medical training … Continue Reading
September 22, 2021
Durbin, Bill Gates: We Must Focus On Global Vaccine Equity
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, about global COVID-19 vaccination efforts and barriers to achieving the Global Vaccine Alliance's distribution goal of 1.9 billion shots, including supply shortages, vaccine hoarding, and inadequate health care infrastructure in many nations. In particular, Durbin and Gates discussed the importance of preparing for the next pandemic and … Continue Reading
September 16, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $1 Million To Support Mental Health Services In Chicago
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $1.02 million in federal funding for mental health awareness training and school-based mental health centers in the Chicago area. The funding, awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will go to seven schools, health centers, and community organizations in Chicago and the suburbs. "Too many kids … Continue Reading
September 10, 2021
Durbin Presses Acting FDA Commissioner Woodcock To Finish Review Of E-Cigarette Products
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with Acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Janet Woodcock to receive an update on yesterday's announcement that FDA has rejected millions of e-cigarette applications for failing to show a public health benefit, but would delay a final decision on whether or not e-cigarette top sellers - like JUUL - can remain on the market. Durbin pressed Woodcock for swift action on JUUL and other flavored e-cigarette … Continue Reading
September 09, 2021
Durbin Statement On FDA Review Of E-Cigarette Products
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would delay a final decision on whether or not e-cigarette top sellers - like JUUL - can remain on the market: "While I am pleased FDA has rejected all e-cigarette applications to date for failing to show a health benefit, it is unacceptable to delay evaluation of e-cigarettes most responsible for hooking children, like JUUL. FDA's … Continue Reading
September 02, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $1 Million Telehealth Grant For Mercy Health System In Rockford
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Mercy Health System in Rockford was awarded $1 million in federal funding to improve and expand telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant, awarded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and established as part of the CARES Act, will allow Mercy Health Systems to purchase devices that will enable audio/video interaction between providers and patients during the COVID-19 … Continue Reading
September 01, 2021
Durbin Talks E-Cigarettes, COVID-19 Relief, And Assistance For Afghan Refugees With HHS Secretary
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Xavier Becerra about pressing public health priorities, including preventing youth e-cigarette use, addressing trauma and community violence, ensuring frontline hospitals and other health providers receive federal funding to assist with COVID-19 efforts, and the importance of swiftly assisting Afghan refugees with access to health and social services. In … Continue Reading
August 27, 2021
Durbin Discusses New Cancer Treatment Center With University Of Chicago
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Dr. Kenneth Polonsky, President of UChicago Medicine Health System, and Dr. Kunle Odunsi, Director of UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, about the University of Chicago's new Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCMC). On the call, Durbin spoke about federal funding to support the hospital's mission and the institution's National Institutes of Health (NIH) designation as a comprehensive cancer center. UCMC … Continue Reading
August 24, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Federal Grants For Three Rural EMS Agencies in Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that three rural fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in Illinois have been awarded a total of $381,091 in federal grant funding. This federal funding was created by Durbin's Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, which was signed into law in 2018. Today's funding supports EMS agencies in responding to the opioid epidemic, COVID-19 pandemic, and other rural health challenges, … Continue Reading
August 10, 2021
Durbin: Big Pharma Must Be Held Accountable For Fueling The Opioid Crisis
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor slamming the pharmaceutical industry for igniting the opioid overdose epidemic and profiting off the suffering of Americans. In his remarks, Durbin spoke about his efforts to rein in opioid overproduction after Big Pharma flooded communities in the United States with 100 billion painkillers between 2006 and 2014. In 2018, Durbin passed a bipartisan bill to strengthen the Drug Enforcement … Continue Reading
August 03, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $5.7 Million In American Rescue Plan Funding To Increase Vaccine Access
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announce a total of $5.7 million in American Rescue Plan funding awarded to six Chicagoland health care providers to increase COVID-19 vaccinations in underserved communities. The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will go to community-based organizations that are working to build vaccine confidence, share … Continue Reading
July 26, 2021
Durbin: Anti-Vax Rhetoric Is Risking The Lives Of Our Fellow Americans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling on Americans to get vaccinated as the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to spread across the U.S., leading to increased cases and hospitalizations. In his remarks, Durbin highlighted the importance of confronting vaccine misinformation and the need for a bipartisan commitment to promoting public health. "The vaccines that we all have access to right now will stop the Delta variant in … Continue Reading
June 24, 2021
Durbin, Grassley, King Introduce Bill To Require Price Transparency In Prescription Drug Advertisements
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and US. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today introduced the Drug-price Transparency for Competition (DTC) Act, a bill that would require price disclosures on advertisements for prescription drugs, in order to empower patients and reduce spending on medications. Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report - requested by Durbin and Grassley - which found direct-to-consumer (DTC) … Continue Reading
June 23, 2021
Durbin: Any Vaping Product That Increases Youth Use Must Be Rejected By FDA
WASHINGTON-U.S Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today testified at a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy hearing entitled, "An Epidemic Continues: Youth Vaping in America." Today's hearing focused on the role of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in regulating e-cigarette products. After years of delay, the agency is in the process of determining which, if any, e-cigarettes will be allowed stay on the market. All e-cigarette manufacturers … Continue Reading
June 21, 2021
Durbin: The Affordable Care Act Is Here To Stay
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor recognizing the Supreme Court's historic decision to keep the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in place. The decision, announced last week, marks the third time the Supreme Court has upheld the law, which has allowed nearly one million Illinoisans to be insured. In his speech, Durbin spoke about the long history of the ACA, outlasting continued Republican … Continue Reading
June 17, 2021
Durbin, Grassley Statement On GAO Report On Prescription Drug Advertising's Impact On Medicare Spending
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report they had requested entitled, "Prescription Drugs: Medicare Spending on Drugs with Direct-to-Consumer Advertising," which found direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements of prescription drugs drive drastic increases in Medicare costs: "This GAO report found that Pharma's $6 billon annual spending … Continue Reading
June 17, 2021
Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Ruling Dismissing Challenge To Affordable Care Act
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after the Supreme Court dismissed a case challenging the Affordable Care Act: "Families across America can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that yet another Republican effort to overturn the ACA was rejected. Health coverage and pre-existing condition protections for millions of Americans are here to stay." … Continue Reading
June 16, 2021
Durbin, Capito, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Address Childhood Trauma
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), along with U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), today introduced bipartisan legislation to increase support for children who have been exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma, including witnessing community violence, parental addiction, or abuse. The Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act dramatically increases … Continue Reading
June 15, 2021
Durbin, Cicilline Announce Introduction Of Bill To Ban Child Labor On Tobacco Farms
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI-01) today announced the introduction of legislation to protect child workers from the dangers of exposure to tobacco plants, including nicotine poisoning. The Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to prohibit children under the age of 18 from working in tobacco fields and coming into direct contact with tobacco plants or dried tobacco leaves by deeming … Continue Reading
June 14, 2021
Durbin, Collins, Wenstrup, Underwood Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill To Make The VA Smoke-Free
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), along with U.S. Representatives Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M. (R-OH-02) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), today introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to prohibit smoking at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The legislation would repeal an antiquated 1992 law that requires the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to furnish and maintain designated indoor or outdoor smoking areas. … Continue Reading