THE SENATE

THE THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE

INTERIM OF 2021

 

SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON COVID-19

 

Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Chair

 

 

NOTICE OF INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING

 

DATE:

Friday, September 3, 2021

TIME:

10:00 a.m.

PLACE:

Conference Room 211 & Videoconference

State Capitol

415 South Beretania Street

 

THE STATE CAPITOL IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC DURING THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

 

A live stream of this meeting will be available on YouTube.

 

Click here for more information about Live and On-Demand Video options.

 

A G E N D A

 

The situation in the state is dire whereas crisis standards of care will need to be implemented and decisions will need to be made regarding which patients do or do not receive oxygen.  The state has two liquid oxygen plants.  Both are operating at full capacity, and both have switched to medical gas only.  The combined local capacity of the on-island plants is approximately 13,000,000 liters per day.  Coincidentally, the current daily consumption statewide for medical grade oxygen is approximately 13,000,000 liters per day, which is approximately a 250% increase since the beginning of August.  Generally, oxygen is not shipped in from the mainland as the current plants produce sufficient oxygen.

 

Current projections are that Hawaii will run out of medical grade oxygen by early September.  A plan needs to be established to have ISOs shipped from the West Coast to Hawaii in early September, with additional ISOs shipped in subsequent weeks until either the current surge subsides, or, on-island capacity is enhanced.

 

The Special Committee will convene to discuss and hear from the following:

 

Hawaii Pandemic Applied Modeling (HiPAM)

 

Department of the Attorney General – Strategy to Prevent Labor Day Surge

 

Department of Health and Healthcare Association of Hawaii – Hospital Capacity and Oxygen Shortages

 

No public testimony will be accepted.

 

The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you require other auxiliary aids or services to participate in the public hearing process (i.e., interpretive services (oral or written) or ASL interpreter), please contact the committee clerk at least 24 hours prior to the hearing so that arrangements can be made.

 

FOR AMENDED NOTICES:  Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored.  If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT (808) 586-6800.

 

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________

Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz

Chair

 

 

_____________________________________

Senator Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate