Report Title:

Poison Center; Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates funds for the Department of Health to operate the Poison Center 24 hours a day.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

963

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

making an appropriation for the poison center.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that a poison center's services are essential to the proper functioning of an emergency medical services system. The mission of a poison center is to prevent and reduce harm from poisoning through the provision of comprehensive poison information services. A properly functioning poison center assists in saving lives, preventing needless suffering, and helps reduce health care costs.

The Hawaii poison center currently responds to more than 12,000 calls annually to its free twenty-four hour statewide hotline. Many of the center's calls are acute in nature and the center's professionally trained nursing staff are able to provide early management of poisoning cases, obviating the necessity of an emergency services visit or response. Professional toxicology consultative services are available twenty-four hours a day at no charge to hospitals, other acute care health facilities, and health care providers. Additionally, the center provides on going, free statewide public information and education services that are preventive in nature, and professional education for health care providers.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds for the poison center to continue operating twenty-four hours a day.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $260,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004-2005, to enable the department of health to operate a hospital-based poison center twenty-four hours a day.

SECTION 3. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003.

INTRODUCED BY:

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