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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION

  URGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS AND THE SPECIAL TRAINING OF
    PARAMEDICS IN THE TREATMENT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PATIENTS.



 1        WHEREAS, domestic violence is a major social and health
 2   care problem that needs priority attention from the medical
 3   community, and it is clear that there is much room for
 4   improvement in the medical community's response to and
 5   protection of battered women; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, studies have indicated that women seeking care in
 8   an emergency department are often victims of domestic violence,
 9   and prehospital providers, or emergency medical service
10   personnel, are often first on the scene and have the initial
11   encounters with these victims; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, because emergency medical service personnel are
14   called upon to evaluate and manage domestic violence victims,
15   they must be aware of the unique problems of domestic violence;
16   and
17   
18        WHEREAS, emergency medical service personnel must be
19   trained to recognize domestic violence so that intervention can
20   begin, giving special attention to not only the physical
21   injuries but also the emotional needs of the victim; and
22   
23        WHEREAS, emergency medical service personnel must be
24   provided educational programs that incorporate information
25   about domestic violence, including identification of victims,
26   special aspects of care, scene safety, and documentation
27   requirements; and
28        
29        WHEREAS, without intervention, the domestic cycle often
30   repeats itself, escalating in frequency and severity, and the
31   sooner help can be obtained for a domestic violence victim, the
32   better the chance of saving her life; now therefore,
33   
34        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
35   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
36   of 2000, that the Department of Emergency Services of the City
37   and County of Honolulu is urged to develop protocols and
38   special training, as initial and continuing educational
39   programs, for paramedics in the treatment of domestic violence

 
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 1   patients because a medical encounter may provide the only
 2   opportunity to stop the violence before more serious injuries
 3   occur; and
 4   
 5        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 6 Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and the Director of
 7 Emergency Services of the City and County of Honolulu, the Chair
 8 of the State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee, and
 9 the Executive Directors of the Hawaii State Coalition Against
10 Domestic Violence and the Hawaii State Commission on the Status
11 of Women.
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15                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________