STAND. COM. REP. NO.1180

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.C.R. No. 6

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Education, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 6 entitled:

"house concurrent resolution REQUESTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PLAN TO IMPROVE ORAL HEALTH FOR CHILDREN IN THE STATE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request the Department of Health and the Department of Education to develop a plan to improve the oral health for children in the State of Hawaii.

DOH, the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Hawaii, and various concerned citizens submitted testimony supporting the intent of this measure.

Some of the testifiers recommended that this measure should exclude fluoride as any part of this plan to improve oral health and include dental hygienists as a part of the overall health care plan.

Your Committees understand that Hawaii faces an oral health care crisis. It is apparent throughout the community that Hawaii has one of the worst, if not the worst, rates of dental disease in the nation. Many children in Hawaii have limited access to much-needed dental disease prevention, early intervention, and dental treatment services. Your Committees believe that developing a plan to deal with children's oral health care needs will greatly reduce dental problems.

Your Committees agree that dental hygienists are an integral part of the oral health care solution and should be included as part of this health care plan. Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Including dental hygienists as a part of the comprehensive health care plan and community programs for children; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 6, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 6, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Education,

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair

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DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair