THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

177

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

ENCOURAGING ALL ACCREDITED POST-SECONDARY MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN HAWAII TO OFFER COURSES IN PALLIATIVE CARE.

 

WHEREAS, one of the most urgent social issues currently facing our society is the care of our rapidly aging population; and

WHEREAS, due to the aging of the "baby boom" generation, the demand for healthcare services is rapidly increasing along with a rapidly expanding continuum of services to meet the diverse needs of this generation; and

WHEREAS, end-of-life care is amongst the most rapidly developing fields within the healthcare industry; and

WHEREAS, palliative care is the use of various treatment modalities, including emotional and spiritual counseling, and pharmacological and massage therapies for the management of pain related to chronic and terminal illnesses; and

WHEREAS, palliative care has been practiced extensively within healthcare systems in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand; and

WHEREAS, within the last decade, palliative care has been recognized as an important area of study by post-secondary institutions in the United States which are now offering course work and specialty certificates in palliative care within medical and nursing programs; and

WHEREAS, national organizations such as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Association for Death Education and Counseling, American Academy of Pain Medicine, Center to Advance Palliative Care, and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization promote palliative care educational programs for both healthcare professionals and others working with dying patients; and

WHEREAS, the Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Living and Dying with Dignity, was convened in Hawaii to explore issues related to death with dignity; and

WHEREAS, in its Final Report issued in May 1998, the Blue Ribbon Panel recommended that healthcare education programs in Hawaii be designed and implemented to increase awareness of the choices available to dying patients; and

WHEREAS, the Blue Ribbon Panel further recommended that effective palliative care programs be required in all licensed healthcare institutions in Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-First Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the House of Representatives concurring, that all accredited post-secondary medical and healthcare education programs in Hawaii are strongly encouraged to offer courses in palliative care; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these programs should consult with Hawaii health care institutions and national programs to determine the types of knowledge, skills, and abilities most needed by health care providers practicing palliative care; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Office on Aging, the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, the University of Hawaii School of Nursing, Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii Association of Nurses, and the Hawaii Medical Association.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

PALLIATIVE CARE CURRICULUM; HI MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS