STAND. COM. REP. NO. 605

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 1133

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1133 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow the Hawaii Health Care System Corporation (Corporation) to enhance the community network of health care facilities throughout the State by building on the strengths of the individual facilities and designing services more suited to meet the health care needs of the specific communities in a timely fashion, and maintaining quality standards of care.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Health, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, and Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. The Hawaii Government Employees Association offered comments on this measure.

Your Committee finds that the Corporation needs more flexibility to maintain and enhance the levels of services and quality of health care for the communities that are served by the Corporation, particularly in rural facilities. This measure provides flexibility by expanding the scope of the regional management advisory committee. Specifically, the advisory committee's advisory purview will include any substantial modification in patient services at a facility and where a facility is to be closed the advisory committee must:

(1) Evaluate the health care services being provided;

(2) Consider the cost of providing public health services and the availability of alternative services;

(3) Hold community meetings for a cost effective way to learn of the public health service needs;

(4) Develop recommendations on types of services to be provided at the facilities with access to alternative care; and

(5) Submit recommendations to the CEO of the Corporation.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes, and inserting language to ensure the continued provision of vital safety net services on the neighbor islands and Leahi Hospital on Oahu.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1133, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1133, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,

____________________________

DAVID MATSUURA, Chair