SENATOR PROPOSES CREATION OF "ILLNESS MONITORING" OFFICE IN HEALTH DEPARTMENT

          Harrisburg, May 2, 2007 -- State Senator Mike O’Pake today introduced legislation that would create the Office of Illness Monitoring within the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which would be charged with the tasks of studying health data for unusual incidences of illness or disease, such as cancer clusters, and working with the Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies to determine causes and develop responses.
          “A month ago the Pennsylvania Department of Health promised to provide me with a revised statistical analysis of a potential cancer cluster in Muhlenberg Township,” said Senator O’Pake.  “Despite repeated assurances from the Department, including the Secretary of Health, that we would have the information in a timely manner, we have yet to see any final data or conclusions from the Department.”
          “My constituents are rightly concerned about a potential life and death issue in their own backyard, as are citizens in similar situations across the Commonwealth.   It is clear that the one person at the Department of Health who now devotes his time to this task cannot handle the workload alone,” added Senator O’Pake.  “With our state’s industrial heritage, we cannot afford to wait months and months for DOH to complete these studies.  Establishing the Office of Illness Monitoring will speed up this process and better protect the health and safety of our citizens.”
          Senator O’Pake’s bill has bipartisan support, including Senator John Rafferty (R-44), who represents part of Berks County.  The bill is companion legislation to House Bill 1015 introduced by State Representative Mark Cohen.

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