Special Needs Children in IL Need Doctors

To:  Illinois Department of Public Health

Preamble (background): Currently, there are only two developmental behavioral pediatricians outside of the Chicagoland area serving children with special needs in Illinois. Illinois ranks last in the nation in services provided to people with developmental disabilities.

On April 17, 2009, Dr. Damon Arnold, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, turned down a request from Steven Schulz, M.D., to complete a fellowship in developmental behavioral pediatrics. Dr. Schulz, currently a pediatric resident, received a scholarship from the state of Illinois for medical school, and in return is required by contract to serve in a primary care role in a rural area of Illinois for four years.

Dr. Schulz appealed to the state to allow him to first complete a fellowship in developmental behavioral pediatrics before returning to practice general pediatrics in Illinois, for the following reasons:

1. He would be able to offer additional specialized services to children with special needs.

2. His additional knowledge would enhance his primary care skills, especially for children with chronic illnesses, mental health illnesses, and children with special needs. He would be able provide primary care pediatric services to rural Illinois children, as his scholarship requires.

3. He would be able obtain his Master's of Public Health. This would provide him with the skills to develop public health programs in Illinois that would benefit children across the state and beyond.

Petition:
We, the undersigned, are petitioning the Illinois Department of Public Health to allow Steven A. Schulz, M.D., to complete a three year fellowship in developmental-behavioral pediatrics before he returns to Illinois to fulfill the commitments of a rural health scholarship provided by the state. We believe it is in the best interest of the children of Illinois for Dr. Schulz to complete a fellowship in developmental behavioral pediatrics.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Special Needs Children in IL Need Doctors Petition to Illinois Department of Public Health was created by and written by Steven Andrew Schulz, M.D. (Steven_Schulz@URMC.Rochester.edu).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.