HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

92

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ESTABLISH A STATE TRAUMA SYSTEM.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, trauma care is a public health priority yet trauma care in Hawaii is in a state of crisis; and

 

     WHEREAS, injury is the leading cause of death for persons between the ages of one to forty‑four in the State of Hawaii, causing more deaths than are caused by cancer and heart disease combined; and

 

     WHEREAS, when injuries are serious, specialized equipment and prompt access to physicians and other trained health care providers make a significant difference in a trauma patient's health outcome; and

 

     WHEREAS, the rates of unintentional injury on the neighbor islands were more than double those for the City and County of Honolulu across most categories, suggesting an association between delayed access to organized, definitive trauma care and risk of death in areas outside of Oahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, this underscores the seriousness of traumatic injury as a public health problem statewide; and

 

     WHEREAS, a weak trauma system decreases the state's readiness to respond not only to the normal flow of critically injured patients, but to unforeseen disasters and emergencies as well; and

 

     WHEREAS, as the American College of Surgeons (ACS) noted in its October 2005 report, " Trauma System Consultation, State of Hawaii" extreme isolation and limited physician re‑supply capability renders Hawaii uniquely vulnerable to natural disasters that may occur in a mid‑Pacific environment; and


     WHEREAS, a functional trauma system with the capacity to handle a surge in demand is a fundamental necessity in responding to both natural and man‑made disasters; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the Department of Health (DOH) is requested to begin the necessary preparations to establish a State Trauma System (System) based on recommendations provided in the October 2005 report by the ACS entitled "Trauma System Consultation State of Hawaii"; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the establishment of the System should include the:

 

(1)  Appointing and convening of a State Trauma Advisory Committee (STAC), charged with the development of a comprehensive, system-wide trauma performance improvement (PI) plan under the guidance of the Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch of DOH;

 

(2)  Development of a system-wide trauma PI plan, including indicators relevant to the specific problems faced by the state of Hawaii (e.g. time-to-definitive care;

 

(3)  Development and use of a statewide trauma registry to identify PI problems within the state, to target potential solutions, and provide “loop closure” for specific system-wide PI interventions;

 

(4)  Establishment of County Trauma Audit Committees for the counties of Hawaii, Maui, Honolulu, and Kauai that meet at least quarterly to address system issues and to coordinate PI plans;

 

(5)  Development of a process to provide more comprehensive outreach based on specific clinical issues identified by the trauma registry, for neighbor island and Oahu trauma receiving hospitals;

 

(6)  Upgrade, verification, and designation of Queen's Medical Center (Queen's) as a Level I Trauma Center;

 

(7)  Development of Maui Memorial Medical Center as a designated and verified Level III trauma center with a plan to evolve into a Level II facility within the next five to ten years;

 

(8)  Development of at least one Level III trauma center on each of the islands of Hawaii and Kauai; and

 

(9)  Incorporation of existing medical expertise at Queen's as the lead trauma center to provide medical leadership for trauma system PI;

 

and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, and Chief Executive Officer of the Queen's Medical Center.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

STATE TRAUMA SYSTEM; DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH