STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2760

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2374

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2374 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMMUNITY PARAMEDIC SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a community paramedic services pilot program to reduce the volume of 911 calls for non-emergency medical conditions.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Requires the Department of Health to administer a three-year community paramedic services pilot program at two sites, one of which shall be on a neighbor island;

(2) Requires that the pilot program have the following components: training and certification, staffing, equipment and supplies, medical records, and billing;

(3) Requires various annual reports to the Legislature regarding the pilot program; and

(4) Appropriates funds for the pilot program.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii Fire Department; Hawaii Pacific Health; American Medical Response; The Queen's Health Systems; The Queen's Medical Center; OCC Legislative Priorities Committee, Democratic Party of Hawaii; and two individuals.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Health and the Emergency Services Department of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committee finds that community paramedic programs have proven to be cost-effective in reducing both 911 emergency medical services demands and ambulance use, while addressing the medical needs of individuals through non-emergency rapid assessment and treatment that more closely aligns with the needs of treated patients.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the amounts appropriated to unspecified amounts;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(3) Making a technical nonsubstantive amendment for purposes of style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2374, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2374, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair