93
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                     HOUSE CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, HAWAII NURSES' ASSOCIATION, THE
   HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATION OF HAWAII, AND THE HAWAII
   OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH DIVISION TO CONVENE A WORKING
   GROUP TO ASSESS LATEX ALLERGIES IN HAWAII.


 1       WHEREAS, natural rubber latex gloves protect the health of
 2   patients and health care workers by providing effective barrier
 3   protection against the transmission of deadly blood-borne
 4   pathogens, including the hepatitis B and C viruses and the
 5   human immunodeficiency virus; and
 6   
 7       WHEREAS, powdered natural rubber latex gloves are the
 8   barrier of choice for most health care professionals against
 9   deadly, infectious agents because of its mix of properties and
10   its unique, high elasticity and tensile strength; and
11   
12       WHEREAS, health care workers and other personnel have
13   experienced allergic reactions when exposed to natural rubber
14   latex products, ranging from minor skin irritation and rashes
15   to systemic reactions, because of its high levels of allergen;
16   and
17   
18       WHEREAS, for nearly a decade, federal laws and regulations
19   have existed to regulate the use of natural rubber latex
20   gloves; and
21   
22       WHEREAS, some health care providers have actively
23   established clinically sound protocols and management
24   strategies to alert and educate health care workers and
25   patients to the implications of latex allergies; and
26   
27       WHEREAS, improvement needs to be made in the area of
28   compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health
29   Administration's blood-borne pathogen regulations requiring
30   employers to provide alternatives to latex gloves; now,
31   therefore,
32   
33       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
34   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
35   of 1999, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Health

 
Page 2                                                     93
                                  H.C.R. NO.            H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   (DOH), the Hawaii Nurses' Association (HNA), the Healthcare
 2   Association of Hawaii (HAH), and the Hawaii Occupational Safety
 3   and Health (HIOSH) Division are urged to convene a working
 4   group to assess latex allergies in Hawaii; and
 5   
 6       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group develop and
 7   disseminate a survey to determine:
 8   
 9       (1)  The extent to which latex gloves with high levels of
10            allergen are being used in healthcare facilities;
11   
12       (2)  The extent to which Hawaii's healthcare facilities
13            have implemented a powder-free or low allergen level
14            latex glove policy throughout its institutions;
15   
16       (3)  The number of healthcare workers who have latex
17            allergy signs and symptoms; and
18   
19       (4)  The potential cost savings or cost increases of
20            implementing a powder-free or low allergen level latex
21            glove policy;
22   
23   and
24   
25       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOH, HAH, HNA, and HIOSH
26   develop an educational program that can be systematically
27   provided to all healthcare workers about latex allergies and
28   the prevention of latex allergies; and
29   
30       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOH submit a progress report to
31   the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the
32   convening of the Regular Session of 2000; and
33   
34       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
35   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Directors of Health
36   and Labor and Industrial Relations, the Executive Director of
37   the Hawaii Nurses' Association, and the President of the
38   Healthcare Association of Hawaii.