§323F-10  Regional public health facility management advisory committees.  (a)  On the transfer date, there shall be established within the corporation for each region, a public health facility management advisory committee to consist of nine members initially to be appointed by the chief executive officer of the corporation with the advice of the hospital administrators of the facilities in the affected regions.  The members shall serve for a term of four years; provided that upon the initial appointment of the members, two shall be appointed for a term of one year, two for a term of two years, two for a term of three years, and three for a term of four years.

     Following the initial appointments by the chief executive officer of the corporation board, any vacancies on a regional committee shall be filled by a simple majority vote of the members of the executive committee from a list of qualified nominees submitted by the regional committee in which the vacancy occurred.  If a regional committee vacancy remains unfilled for more than thirty days, that vacancy may be filled by the chief executive officer of the corporation.

     Each regional management advisory committee shall include medical and health care providers, consumers, and knowledgeable individuals in other appropriate areas such as business and law; provided that at least one member shall be a physician with active medical staff privileges at one of the region's public health facilities.  At least three members of the committee shall be consumers.

     The management advisory committee for the East Hawaii region shall have three members who reside in the Ka`u district, three members who reside in the Hamakua/North Hilo districts, and three members who reside in the South Hilo/Puna districts.  The management advisory committee for the West Hawaii region shall have not less than three members who reside in the North Kohala/South Kohala districts.

     Each regional committee shall select its own chairperson and vice chairperson and shall adopt rules governing the terms for removal of its chairperson from the executive management advisory committee.  In the event of a regional committee voting to remove its chairperson who concurrently sits on the corporation board, that vote shall be unanimous.  In the event of a regional committee voting to remove its physician member from the corporation board, that vote shall also be unanimous.  Each regional committee may also adopt other rules as it may consider necessary for the conduct of its business.

     The members of the regional committees shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for traveling expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.  The corporation shall provide for the necessary expenses of the committees; provided that no expenses may be incurred without prior authorization by the chief executive officer.

     (b)  Each regional committee shall sit in an advisory capacity to the chief executive officer on matters concerning the formulation of regional operational and capital improvement budgets, and the planning, construction, improvement, maintenance, and operation of public health facilities within its respective jurisdiction and shall sit in an advisory capacity to the governor on matters concerning the nominees for positions on the corporation board.  Nothing in this section shall be construed as precluding or preventing the committees from coordinating their efforts and activities with the facility administrators within their counties.

     (c)  Each regional committee may prepare a report for inclusion with the corporation's annual report and audit, which shall include but not be limited to comments and analyses on the corporation's regional operational and capital improvement budgets for its respective region.

     (d)  Upon the establishment of a regional system board for a regional system pursuant to section 323F-3.5, this section shall no longer apply to that regional system. [L 1996, c 262, pt of §2; am L 1998, c 229, §8; am L 2007, c 290, §26]