STAND. COM. REP. NO.57

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 380

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 380 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR WAIANAE COAST COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CENTER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation for emergency medical services at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC).

Your Committee received testimony supporting this measure from the Department of Health and the WCCHC.

Your Committee finds that the 40,000 residents of Waianae, Oahu, due to their isolated location, rely heavily on the emergency medical services of the WCCHC. Besides the WCCHC, the nearest emergency care facility is twenty miles away. Consequently, the WCCHC's emergency room is one of the most utilized on Oahu. Your Committee believes that if emergency services at the WCCHC are not maintained, the health and welfare of Waianae residents is at risk. Therefore, your Committee finds that the appropriation provided by this measure is required to ensure that Waianae residents are provided adequate emergency medical services.

Your Committee has amended this measure by expanding the scope of the appropriation to include the procurement of ambulance services to be utilized by the WCCHC.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 380, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 380, 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,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair