Report Title:

Appropriation; Medical Facility in West Maui

Description:

Appropriates $16,250,000 in lapsing funds previously appropriated for the Kulamalu skilled nursing-intermediate care facility in 2003, as amended in 2004, for planning, development, and construction of a medical facility in West Maui to provide urgent care, emergent care, and long-term care services, and a helipad for emergency transport. (SD1)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1447

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds and making an appropriation for a medical facility in west maui.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The area from Lahaina to Kapalua has a resident population of 17,967, approximately 22,460 daily visitors, and over five thousand workers. Due to its geographic isolation, there is a limited availability of health care services, including acute, urgent, emergency, and long–term care to accommodate the population. Further, the area lacks the availability of specialists, diagnostic imaging, physical medicine, and the other support services that centralization of health care services provides. Residents must commute to Wailuku or Oahu for many specialty services.

Eighteen physicians with established offices in West Maui currently deliver primary care to its residents. However, patients in need of acute or after-hours health care services must be transferred by ambulance to Maui memorial medical center in Wailuku. Emergent medical services should be used for true emergencies and not to supplement the need for acute and after-hours health care in West Maui.

In addition, the Hawaii health systems corporation completed a demand analysis and site selection study to determine the appropriate location for long-term care bed expansion in Maui, and the study concluded that the appropriate location is in West Maui. The Hawaii health systems corporation has also discussed the development and provision of overall health care services in West Maui with numerous community groups. In this regard, several potential sites of donated land are currently being considered in West Maui. It is important to secure a site and begin the planning, development, and construction of a medical facility that will ultimately provide a continuum of health care services in West Maui.

A needs and feasibility assessment will be completed to determine the exact profile of the facility; however, it is expected that, in the initial phase, the project will provide expanded urgent care and long-term care, as well as emergent care services. Emergent care is defined as a "step-up" from urgent, acute care and is generally not considered life threatening. The facility will be planned to increase service levels to meet the expanding needs of the growing West Maui community. These services will include full emergency care, urgent care, acute care, and long-term care, with approximately thirty "swing" beds that serve acute, intermediate, or skilled nursing care needs. The facility will contain a helicopter pad for medical transport for more critical cases.

The legislature also finds that the twenty-second legislature authorized, under Act 200, Session Laws of Hawaii 2003, part IV, section 77, Item E, (HTH210, 5. Kulamalu skilled nursing facility/intermediate care facility, Maui), as amended by the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2004 (Act 41, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004), the issuance of $16,250,000 in general obligation bonds and appropriated the same amount for the Kulamalu skilled nursing/intermediate care facility. Unfortunately, this project will not be initiated and the bond authorization for this project will consequently lapse at the end of the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

The legislature believes that there is a critical and urgent need for a continuum of health care services in West Maui. The legislature also believes that patients should not have to resort to a forty-five minute ambulance ride to receive after-hours urgent or emergent health care services. Therefore, as the funds for the Kulamalu facility project have not been expended, the legislature further believes that funding resources should be shifted to constructing the medical facility in West Maui.

The purpose of this Act is to lapse the general obligation bond authorization and any funds appropriated for the construction of the Kulamalu facility under Act 200, Session Laws of Hawaii 2003, as amended by Act 41, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, and to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds and appropriate the funds therefrom for the planning, development, and construction of a medical facility in West Maui to provide urgent care, emergent care, and long-term care services, and a helipad for emergency transport.

SECTION 2. Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, the appropriations under Act 200, Session Laws of Hawaii 2003, part IV, section 77, Item E, (HTH210, 5. Kulamalu skilled nursing facility/intermediate care facility, Maui), as amended by the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2004 (Act 41, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, section 5), in the amounts indicated or balances thereof, unallotted, allotted, encumbered, and unrequired, are hereby lapsed:

Item No. Amount (MOF)

E-5 16,250,000 C

SECTION 3. The director of finance is authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the sum of $16,250,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for fiscal biennium 2005-2007 for the planning, development, and construction of a medical facility in West Maui to provide urgent care, emergent care, and long-term care services, and a helipad for emergency transport.

SECTION 4. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii health systems corporation for the purposes of this Act; provided that the Hawaii health systems corporation and Maui memorial medical center shall cooperate with health care providers and other stakeholders in the West Maui area to carry out this project.

SECTION 5. The appropriation made for the capital improvement project authorized by this Act shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal biennium for which the appropriation is made; provided that all moneys from the appropriation unencumbered as of June 30, 2008, shall lapse as of that date.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005.