IDPH Notice: Health Care Sanctity and Privacy Law Information for Hospitals
By March 1, all hospitals licensed by the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) were required to have developed and submitted to IDPH a policy relating to interactions with law enforcement agents to the Department. Additionally, hospitals were required to post the following information in a visible and accessible location:

• Immigrants with questions about immigration rights or in need of support can utilize the hotline provided by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights by calling 855-435-7693.
• Los inmigrantes con preguntas sobre sus derechos de inmigración o que necesiten apoyo pueden comunicarse con la línea directa de la Coalición de Illinois para los Derechos de Inmigrantes y Refugiados (ICIRR por sus siglas en inglés) llamando al 855-435-7693.

In November 2025, IHA published a detailed member memo summarizing the omnibus immigration package (HB 1312/PA 104-0440) which passed during the fall Veto Session. You can access the memo here. A follow-up memo provided guidance on how hospitals should submit their required policies and provided a copy of the template for the notice that must be posted, including in the predominant language or languages spoken in the hospital's service area. A copy of IHA’s Dec. 24 memo is here.

IDPH recently published additional resources to assist impacted families, as well as guidance for how hospitals and healthcare organizations can best continue to prepare for immigration enforcement activity. Click here to access these additional resources.

Staff contact: Karen Harris

Health Industry AI Cybersecurity Governance Framework Implementation Guide
The Health Sector Coordinating Council’s Cybersecurity Working Group has released a comprehensive guide to assist healthcare organizations in establishing cyber governance frameworks for secure artificial intelligence implementation. The implementation recommendations offered in the guide are intended to help reduce unintended cybersecurity risk and consequences of AI use in healthcare and help prevent adversarial exploitation of AI-related technical flaws. The guide identifies challenges in recognizing and mitigating AI-specific cyber risks, including data poisoning, model drift and adversarial attacks, while achieving compliance with current regulations. The guide also provides information on a range of AI technologies that are used in healthcare, such as traditional machine learning models, generative AI and agentic AI systems capable of autonomous action.

Illinois Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act Effective June 1
The Illinois Dept. of Labor (IDOL) issued a reminder to employers and workers this week that the Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act (P.A. 104-259) took effect June 1, 2026. The law provides eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave when their child is admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Under the law employers with 16 to 50 employees must provide up to 10 days of unpaid leave, while employers with 51 or more employees must provide up to 20 days of unpaid leave. More information can be found at the IDOL NICU Leave website here.

Free Summer Meal Programs Available Across Illinois
This summer, Illinois families can take advantage of free meals and snacks for children 18 and younger through federal programs administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). ISBE said in a news release that more than 1,000 sites across 72 counties are participating, with additional sites continuing to enroll throughout the summer. Families can find a nearby location by searching online, texting, or calling a hotline. Visit ISBE’s Summer Food Service Program webpage or the Seamless Summer Option webpage for more information.