STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1363

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 361, 362, 363, 364, 365

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 361, 362, 363, 364, and 365, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Mental Health and Substance Abuse, hawaii Service Area Board

 

G.M. No. 361

ANDREW DAVID BISSET, Ph.D., M.D., for a term to expire 6-30-2010;

 

Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Kauai Service Area Board

 

G.M. No. 362

JANA HERKES, for a term to expire 6‑30-2011;

 

G.M. No. 363

MARY ANN MORISHIGE, for a term to expire 6-30-2011;

 

 

Mental Health and Substance Abuse, MAUI Service Area Board

 

G.M. No. 364

VIRGINIA RUTH SHAW, Ph.D., for a term to expire 6-30-2011;

 

G.M. No. 365

PHIL E. KAY, for a term to expire 6‑30-2011;

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees, and finds Dr. Andrew David Bisset, Jana Herkes, Mary Ann Morishige, Virginia Ruth Shaw, and Phil E. Kay, to have the necessary qualifications to be nominated to the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Area Board of their respective areas.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Dr. Andrew David Bisset's nomination for the Hawaii Service Area Board from the Department of Health; the Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Hawaii Service Area Board; and two members of Department of Veterans Affairs. 

 

     Dr. Bisset has nearly twenty years of experience in psychiatry, most notably in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and war related disorders at the Veterans Administration and Regional Office Center in Hilo, where he has worked since 1994.  He is the Director of Behavioral Health and one of the developers of the Lokahi Treatment Centers, which provide substance abuse treatment at several sites on the island of Hawaii.  Dr. Bisset concluded his residency in psychiatry at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta; received his Medical Doctorate from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Mexico; and his Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Oxford University, England.  Dr. Bisset has served on several committees, the most relevant of which is his service on the Augusta, Georgia Mayor's Task Force on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction from 1989-1992.  He has numerous presentations and publications on topics relating to substance abuse and mental health.  Your Committee finds Dr. Bisset has already shown to be a valuable contributor since his interim appointment and that his continued service as a provider representative would be an asset to the Board.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Jana Herkes' nomination for the Kauai Service Area Board from the Department of Health, Kauai Community Health Center, National Alliance on Mental Illness in Hawaii (NAMI), and two individuals. 

 

     Ms. Herkes is a graduate of Punahou School and the University of California at Berkeley, where she received a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology.  She is a reservationist with Jack Harter Helicopters and worked with Sweet Wind Bookstore and the Kauai Economic Development Board.  She is a member of NAMI Oahu and the Kauai Jail Diversion Committee, and a volunteer with the Adult Day Care Program.  Her personal experience with her dual diagnosis son has given the Board a valuable perspective of the mental health service system.  Your Committee finds Ms. Herkes to have been a valuable contributor as a stakeholder representative in her first term on the Kauai Service Area Board and that her continued service would be an asset to the Board.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Mary Ann Morishige's nomination for the Kauai Service Area Board from the Department of Health, and two individuals with the Kauai Community Health Center. 

 

     Miss Morishige has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Western Michigan University.  She is a retired Bridges Education and Support Group facilitator, in which she assisted mentally ill consumers in recovering from their illnesses.   Her community service includes serving as the senior member and sergeant-at-arms of the Lihue Neighborhood Center and volunteering with the RSVP Seniors Volunteer Program.  She has dealt with her schizophrenia for over ten years and has successfully left group care to live on her own.  Her contributions and responsible nature have served the Board well in her first term.  Your Committee finds that her reappointment to a consumer position on the Board would be in the public interest.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Dr. Virginia Ruth Shaw's nomination for the Maui Service Area Board from the Department of Health and the Maui Service Area Board on Mental Health and Substance Abuse. 

 

     Dr. Shaw received a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Arts in Clinical-Community Psychology from Wichita State University, and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Kansas Wesleyan University.  She has specialized training in the Mandt System, and Disaster Mental Health Services.  Dr. Shaw is a member of numerous prestigious organizations and has served in several positions of leadership.  Your Committee notes she has received numerous honors and awards and has made numerous paper and seminar presentations.  Your Committee finds that Dr. Shaw's knowledge, skills, and expertise are an asset to the Board and recommends that she be reappointed for a second term as a provider representative.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Phil E. Kay's nomination for the Maui Service Area Board from the Department of Health, Maui Service Area Board on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and one individual. 

 

     Mr. Kay is a retired investigator with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.  He is a board member of the Molokai Aquaculture Alliance and a manager of the Kikai Drop-in Center.  Mr. Kay has a Bachelors' of Arts in Social Sciences and was a reservist with the United States Navy.  Your Committee finds that his reappointment to a consumer position on the Board would be in the public interest.  Your Committee finds that his familiarity with advocacy and his motivation to confront the stigma and prejudice associated with mental illness are important to the Board and recommend that he be confirmed for a second term.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair