STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2910

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2339

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2339, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Health to develop and coordinate an Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Training Program for care workers whose work involves extensive contact with participants or residents.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Alzheimer's Association, Aloha Chapter; and fifteen individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services, Executive Office on Aging, and Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that Alzheimer's disease affects a person's memory and eventually causes the individual to experience difficulties with speech and language skills, vision, decision making, and many other daily activities. As residents of Hawaii have the longest life expectancy of any state, the need for various care facilities is anticipated to grow as the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease increases. Therefore, it is important that the State Plan on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias is updated to ensure that staff in these facilities are adequately trained to work with people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have required the Department of Health to develop and coordinate an Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Training Program for care workers whose work involves extensive contact with participants or residents;

(2) Inserting language that requires the Executive Office on Aging to convene a working group to update the State Plan on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias by identifying the best practices and standards of dementia training in care facilities; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2339, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2339, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair