STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1641

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     S.C.R. No. 42

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 42 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE BLOOD BANK OF HAWAII TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESS OF REMOVING THE DEFERRAL FOR INDIVIDUALS PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED TO BE EXPOSED TO CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE AND VARIANT CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE TO ASSIST WITH THE URGENT DEMAND FOR BLOOD IN THE STATE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Blood Bank of Hawaii to expedite the process of removing the deferral for individuals previously considered to be exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease to assist with the urgent demand for blood in the State.

 

     Your Committee did not receive any testimony on this measure.

 

     Your Committee finds that the State's blood inventory is at a historic low.  As a result, hospitals statewide have received between twenty to forty percent less blood than usual.  Despite the dire need for blood in the State, the State's sole blood provider, the Blood Bank of Hawaii, has yet to adopt updated guidance issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2022 concerning individuals deferred from donating blood due to risk for possible exposure to Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.  These guidelines rescind the FDA's previous recommendation to prohibit individuals from donating blood due to time spent in certain locales once considered to be at high risk for exposure to Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease during specific years.  The Blood Bank of Hawaii's adoption of the FDA's updated guidelines has the potential to increase the number of individuals eligible to donate blood and alleviate the blood shortage in the State.

 

     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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 42 and recommends its adoption.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair