STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1117

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.R. No. 13
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.R. No. 13
entitled: 

     "HOUSE RESOLUTION URGING MORE PUBLIC EDUCATION ABOUT CHOICES
     AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO ARE SEVERELY ILL, AND URGING THE
     INCLUSION OF CARE OF THE DYING IN THE EDUCATION OF
     HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this resolution is to increase awareness of
the choices available to the dying by urging:

     (1)  The media to engage in extensive public service
          campaigns to improve public awareness of the need for
          planning for a dignified death;

     (2)  A task force to ensure that care of the dying be an
          integral part of the education of healthcare
          professionals;

     (3)  Professional healthcare societies to include
          educational programs on the care of the dying as part
          of their continuing education programs; and

     (4)  The American Cancer Society and the American Heart
          Association to use a portion of their marketing budgets
          to publicize the use of hospices and increase awareness
          of the inevitability of death.


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1117
                                 Page 2

 
     The Commission on Persons with Disabilities, Hawaii Family
Forum, the American Association of Retired Persons, the Hawaii
Catholic Conference, the Hawaii Medical Association, the Hawaii
Nurses' Association, and the American Center for Law and Justice
of Hawaii submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The
Executive Office on Aging submitted testimony in support of the
intent of this measure.

     Your Committee believes that it is essential to increase
public awareness of the care options available for the dying and
their families.

     Your Committee believes that suggested language submitted by
the Hawaii Nurses' Association more accurately reflects the
current situation.  As such, your Committee has amended this
measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that some healthcare professional schools
          have concentrated on their healing and rehabilitative
          roles rather than their roles as providers of care to
          the dying;

     (2)  Clarifying that while hospices have effectively
          provided care to the dying, they have consistently been
          underfunded and remain relatively unknown; and

     (3)  Urging healthcare professional societies to continue to
          include educational programs on the care of the dying
          as part of their continuing education programs.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your
Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 13, as
amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the
Committees on Higher Education and Consumer Protection and
Commerce in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 13, H.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health,



                                   ______________________________
                                   ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair