Report Title:

Emergency Medical Services; aeromedical

 

Description:

Appropriate funds for helicopter aeromedical services for Maui County. (SD1)

 

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

922

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to emergency medical services.

 

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaii, as an island state, is dependent upon the aeromedical transportation of patients from neighbor island medical facilities who require specialized care at tertiary hospitals in Honolulu. The rural nature of neighbor island communities also requires long ground transport times to medical facilities with the capability to stabilize and treat critical medical conditions. An aeromedical system must assure timely transport of seriously ill and injured persons to definitive medical care facilities.

In particular, Maui County is in need of a helicopter aeromedical unit, due to the closing of Mercy Air Hawaii. Residents of the island of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai are now without an adequate aeromedical system to meet the American College of Surgeons performance measure of four hours from the time a serious head injury patient arrives at the initial receiving facility until receipt at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.

The purpose of this Act is to establish an intra-county helicopter critical care aeromedical service for the island of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, which operates twenty-four hours a day, and is adequately staffed by medical personnel to provide rapid transport to appropriate medical care and transportation facilities.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $2,600,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002, for funding an intra-county helicopter aeromedical service for the county of Maui.

SECTION 3. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health through its emergency medical service system for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.