STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1358

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 507

 

 

 

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 Governor's Message No. 507, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

 

Director of the Department of Health

 

G.M. No. 507

VIRGINIA PRESSLER,

for a term to expire 12-3-2018,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal history and resume submitted by the nominee and finds Dr. Virginia Pressler to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated as the Director of Health.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Dr. Pressler from the Governor's Office; Department of Human Services; Department of Transportation; Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Department of Budget and Finance; Communicable Disease and Public Health Nursing Division, Department of Health; State Laboratories Division, Department of Health; State Council on Developmental Disabilities; Executive Office on Aging; Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Office of Planning and Policy, Department of Health; Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs; Hawaii Primary Care Association; Kauai Chamber of Commerce; The Queen's Health Systems; Mental Health America of Hawaii; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO; Kapi‘olani Health Foundation; Pali Momi Medical Center; Hawai‘i Pacific Health; Wilcox Memorial Hospital; Straub Clinic and Hospital; Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children; Hawaii Medical Association; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; Hawai‘i Public Health Institute; American Medical Response; Hawaii Health Information Corporation; Pūlama Lāna‘i; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; Good Beginnings Alliance; American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Hawaii Section; American Heart Association; Hawaii Public Health Association; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; and forty individuals.

 

     Dr. Pressler received a Doctor of Medicine degree from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, Master of Science in Physiology and Master of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii, and Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Psychology from Cornell University.

 

     Your Committee finds that, consistent with the exemplary comments submitted on her behalf, Dr. Pressler has distinguished herself in various roles in health care and public health since the early 1990s.  She has demonstrated a desire to innovate the way health care is delivered in her past experiences as Vice President of The Queen's Health Systems and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Queen's/HMSA Premier Plan.  Dr. Pressler continued to demonstrate excellent leadership skills as Deputy Director for Health Resources Administration for the Department of Health, where she was instrumental in obtaining sixty percent of the $1,300,000,000 tobacco settlement fund for public health purposes.  More recently, she served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer for Hawaii Pacific Health and was responsible for service line development, philanthropy, government relations, and strategic business development.

 

     Dr. Pressler strives for a collaborative approach to public health, as she understands how health, education, and social services work together to address community health needs and the role of public health and medical care for the people of Hawaii.  Dr. Pressler's experience, management abilities, and professional relationships are needed in the Department of Health to continue moving the State forward by highlighting the relationship between public health and medical care, social services, education, and the environment.

 

     Dr. Pressler indicated in her personal statement that she hopes to see a statewide interdepartmental and interdisciplinary mental health strategic plan that addresses integration of behavioral health into primary care, preventative care, transitional care for substance abuse disorders, comprehensive wrap around care for super users, and access to care for all residents of the State.

 

     Your Committee finds that Dr. Pressler's background in the health care and public health field, as well as her decisive leadership style, will provide her with the necessary foundation to lead the Department of Health.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair