HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
1799 |
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022 |
H.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO ASTHMA.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1.
The legislature finds that, according to the department of health, more
than one hundred ten thousand Hawaii residents are living with asthma and approximately
one third of those are children. This
chronic respiratory disease occurs most commonly among those eleven years of
age and younger. Every year, over five
thousand people in Hawaii visit emergency rooms due to asthma and another one
thousand five hundred are hospitalized. Infants
and very young children make up the majority of asthma-related medical
emergencies and hospitalizations. Every
year, asthma costs the State approximately $4,200,000 in emergency room visits
and approximately $14,000,000 in hospitalizations. Although the asthma mortality rate has
declined over the past ten years, there was an average of twenty-two deaths per
year from asthma in Hawaii between 2013 and 2015.
The legislature further finds that published
research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the
Journal of School Health has shown that students who engage in school-based
asthma education experienced significantly fewer days with activity limitations
and significantly fewer nights of sleep disturbance after participation in the
intervention. For health care
utilization, students reported significantly less frequent emergency department
visits or hospitalizations between the baseline and follow-up surveys. School-based asthma curriculum designed
specifically for urban students has been shown to reduce symptoms, activity
limitations, and health care utilization for intervention participants.
The purpose of this Act is to authorize the
department of education to offer optional asthma self-management instruction to
students and to require teachers and other department employees to obtain
asthma training.
SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II, subpart C, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§302A- Asthma
self-management instruction. (a)
The department may offer optional asthma self-management instruction to
students with asthma. The instruction
shall be age-appropriate and the topics shall include:
(1) Asthma
facts, physiology, and early warning signs;
(2) Symptoms and
triggers of asthma; and
(3) Asthma self-management
skills.
(b) The department may coordinate with any public
or private entity to provide the instruction authorized under this section.
(c) The department may use existing educational and training resources available in the public and private sectors when developing the instruction authorized under this section."
SECTION 3. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part III, subpart B, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§302A- Asthma
training. (a)
The department shall develop and provide required asthma training to
teachers and other department employees who interact with students. The training required under this section
shall include recognizing
the symptoms of asthma and asthma management.
(b) The department shall allow parents and guardians
of students and any other department employee to attend the training at no
cost.
(c) The department shall set the standards and
frequency for the training and may coordinate as necessary with any public or
private entity to provide the training required under this section.
(d) The department may use existing educational and training resources available in the public and private sectors when developing the training required under this section."
SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.
Report Title:
Asthma; DOE; Training; Teachers; Instruction
Description:
Authorizes the department of education to offer optional asthma self-management instruction to students. Requires the department of education to provide mandatory asthma training to teachers and other department employees who interact with students. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD2)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.