WEST CHICAGO, Ill. — State Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, was appointed to the Healing-Centered Illinois Task Force, continuing her commitment to more effective and compassionate  approaches to tackling Illinois’ biggest health issues. 

“We need to move beyond old ways of treating patients and problems if we are going to combat our state’s physical and mental health issues,” Hirschauer said. “I am excited to bring the voices and insight of my community and stakeholders to this appointment as we work collaboratively to shape a better future for healthcare in Illinois. By looking at our leading health problems through the lens of individual and generational trauma, our healthcare system can better serve the people.” 

The Healing-Centered Illinois Task Force is a product of Senate Bill 646, which moves Illinois into a trauma-informed direction. The task force would align definitions and goals laid out in the Whole Child Task Force, Children’s Mental Health Plan, and the recent Children’s Mental Health Transformation Initiative. Receiving trauma-informed care means that healthcare professionals at the clinical and organizational level understand a patient’s complete history, even the history often overlooked in mainstream healthcare practices. By opening up relationships between patients and providers, treating health issues can become more long-lasting and effective.

For more information on Senate Bill 646 and the Healing-Centered Illinois Task Force, visit ilga.gov.

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. — State Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, is continuing her commitment to cutting healthcare costs by lowering the price of costly, life saving medications through two new reforms that are now law. 

“Too many people depend on insulin in their day-to-day lives for us to do nothing about outrageous price gouging by major pharmaceutical companies,” Hirschauer said. “By lowering the cost of insulin, we will help countless people manage their diabetes, and afford to do so.” 

Hirschauer championed House Bill 2189 which lowered the cap on the price of insulin to $35, making it more attainable to low-income people with diabetes. Insulin helps diabetic people manage their blood sugar levels and helps turn food into energy. 

Allergic reactions can turn deadly at a moment’s notice. That’s why Hirschauer fought for House Bill 3639, requiring insurance companies to cap the costs of a twin-pack of medically necessary epinephrine injectors. Due to large-scale price gouging, the cost of this life saving medication has risen dramatically, often causing those with severe allergies to navigate precariously around potentially deadly interactions. 

“It is unacceptable that those with severe allergic reactions to things like nuts, household products and environmental triggers have to take their life into their hands every time they walk outside, because they can’t afford an Epi-pen,” Hirschauer said. “Epinephrine can mean the difference between life and death for many, so I am thankful to Governor Pritzker, my colleagues and all those who helped make this possible.” 

For more information on this and other Hirschauer-backed legislation, visit ilga.gov. 

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. – State Rep. Maura Hirschauer released the following statement Friday after the Illinois Supreme Court upheld legislation she worked to pass banning the sale of assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, and rapid-fire modifications:

“I applaud today’s ruling for commonsense gun safety as a lawmaker, as a Moms Demand Action volunteer, and as a mother myself. First and foremost, I’m glad to see our Supreme Court upholding the work so many of my neighbors sent me to Springfield to do. I know there is more work to be done, so I am heartened to see that the voices of so many students, moms, and other advocates means more than the money and clout of the gun lobby. And I’m grateful to know, at least in Illinois, we will value our children more than we value guns. We will not accept the national mania that would have us believe that seeing people massacred in our classrooms, in movie theaters, and on our streets is a price we must pay again and again. We will act on behalf of the students who have spoken clearly about the need for change; we will comfort the parents who drop their kids off at school and say a silent prayer that they make it home safe; and we will continue the work of ending gun violence in every community in this state.”