STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1260

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 153

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 153 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO REVIEW AND ANALYZE ALL ORAL HEALTH INITIATIVES CURRENTLY UNDERWAY IN THE STATE, INCLUDING THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL PROGRAM, AND PREPARE A PROGRESS REPORT ON EACH INITIATIVE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Health to review and analyze all oral health initiatives currently underway in the State, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Oral Health Disease Prevention Program, and prepare a progress report on each initiative.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities and Hawaii Primary Care Association.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Health.

 

     Your Committee finds that the State needs to improve oral health care, which can result in improved health care and reduced health care costs to the State.  The State has begun to leverage a CDC oral health disease prevention program that has provided limited results, including data surveillance, updated data gap assessment, a third grade oral health survey on the use of sealants, establishment of an oral health care advisory group, initial collaboration on other CDC dental initiatives with community stakeholders, and continued recruitment of a state dental director funded by the CDC grant.  While the CDC grant does provide useful assistance to the State's oral health assessment and profile, its limited focus does not provide sufficient funding to adequately assess oral health.

 

     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. 153 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair