STAND. COM. REP. 3378

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.C.R. No. 95

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 95 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ADOPT RULES TO ALLOW PRIVATE PAY PATIENTS TO RECEIVE DAY CONTINUING SERVICES, INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT, PSYCHOSOCIAL REHABILITATION SERVICES, AND OTHER COMMUNITY SUPPORT ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS ON A GRADUATED FEES SCHEDULE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Health to adopt rules to allow private pay patients to receive day continuing services, including mental health treatment and psychosocial rehabilitation services on a voluntary basis or on a graduated fee schedule.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Health and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill-Oahu.

Your Committee finds that there is a gap group of severely mentally ill individuals who currently do not have or require active case management through the Adult Mental Health Division and who are receiving psychiatric services from private providers, but who wish instead to receive a fuller range of services offered to clients of the Department of Health. These private pay patients should be able to pay to receive day continuing services in full or on a graduated fee basis.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requesting that the Department of Health convene a task force to explore the continuance of mental health services and the availability of community wrap around services for private pay clients, and amending the title of the measure accordingly;

(2) Requesting the task force to report its findings to the Legislature; and

(3) Transmitting a copy of this measure to the members of the task force, including the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill-Oahu.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 95, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 95, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair