Bill Would Elevate Prostate Cancer Crusade

SPRINGFIELD — Bob Jelks has enjoyed 10 Christmases, 10 Thanksgivings, and 10 NBA championships since he found out about his case of prostate cancer.

Jelks, of Macon County, said regular screenings for prostate cancer helped him detect the disease early and have given him 10 more years to spend with friends and family.

"I’m standing before you because of early detection," Jelks said at a Tuesday press conference at the state Capitol announcing a plan by lawmakers to start screening and treatment programs for prostate and testicular cancer.

State Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion, is sponsoring the proposal, which a House committee passed unanimously. The proposed program would make diagnosis and treatment of the diseases more accessible for underinsured and uninsured men.

"The idea behind this legislation is that it will save lives," Flider said, standing alongside several other lawmakers and representatives from the Macon County Health Department and the Illinois division of the American Cancer Society.

State Rep. Chuck Jefferson, D-Rockford, who is co-sponsoring the proposal, said it will be instrumental in saving lives.

"This is something we’ve needed for a long time," Jefferson said.

Flider stressed that the proposal will not ask for money that the state cannot afford, saying the program will follow the lead of Illinois’s mammogram and cervical cancer program by seeking out federal funding.

"Right now, because of the state’s precarious financial situation, we’re not proposing creating a large new appropriation for this program" Flider said. "We are providing a framework for capturing federal dollars, or in the event that the Legislature would like to redirect some funding, then the Legislature could do that."

The proposal will move to the House floor for further debate.

The legislation is House Bill 4634.

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