STAND. COM. REP. NO.223

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1613

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1613 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR NURSING HOME WITHOUT WALLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate moneys to fund one full-time registered nurse case manager position and one full-time clerical support staff for the Nursing Home Without Walls program serving clients on Molokai and Lanai.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that the Nursing Home Without Walls (NHWW) program will be the only long-term care resource for Molokai and Lanai once Molokai General Hospital closes its long-term care facility on June 30, 2003. Your Committee also finds that the Department of Human Services has a registered nurse contract from June 2002 through June 2003 to provide case management services for the NHWW program on Molokai and Lanai. Furthermore, only a limited amount of funds are available for the Department of Human Services to provide contracted registered nurse case management services; therefore, further appropriations will be necessary to appropriately fund and staff the NHWW program.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1613 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair