STAND. COM. REP. NO. 435

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 579
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.B. No. 579 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR A DIALYSIS
     MACHINE FOR PATIENTS' OF THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS
     CORPORATION RESIDING ON MOLOKAI,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for a
dialysis machine for Molokai patients.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from Molokai General Hospital (MGH), Council Chair Patrick S.
Kawano and Council Members J. Kalani English and Mike Davis of
the County Council of the County of Maui, and Office of Hawaiian
Affairs.  The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) provided
comment.

     According to MGH, this measure is not for the purchase of a
dialysis machine, but to continue existing home hemodialysis
services to patients on Molokai.  Molokai does not currently have
a dialysis facility, but St. Francis Medical Center has committed
to establishing a facility this year.  In the meantime, patients
remain at home to receive their life-sustaining treatments.  MGH
administers a program for home hemodialysis services to those
patients who can medically remain at home with home dialysis
machines rather than travelling off-island for treatment.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 
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     (1)  Changing the purpose of the appropriation to funding
          for home hemodialysis services;

     (2)  Adding a purpose section; and

     (3)  Changing the expending agency to the Department of
          Health, because the HHSC is not involved with these
          services.

     Your Committee notes that the amended measure may not be
covered by its title and requests the Committee on Ways and Means
find an appropriate measure.

     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. 579, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 579,
S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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