STAND. COM. REP. NO. 481

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 759

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 759 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for a pilot program within the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health to:

(1) Collaboratively address the health and wellness needs of Hawaii County's most underserved residents;

(2) Facilitate discussions between key Hawaii County community health and social service organizations; and

(3) Develop a 2030 One Shared Health Vision Plan, which shall be submitted to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2024.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i State Youth Commission, Department of Research and Development for the County of Hawai‘i, and Hawai‘i Island Fentanyl Task Force. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that accessing health care is often complicated for residents in rural areas of the State. Coordinated efforts at all levels are necessary to improve access to public health services, including in Hawaii County. To establish a strong health network in the County, this measure establishes and appropriates funds for a pilot program to develop a comprehensive plan to increase access to health care, reduce service duplication, and foster collaboration between providers.

Your Committee notes that, per testimony submitted by the Department of Health, the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health has neither the staff nor the resources to implement this measure, as currently written. Further, rural counties across the State are already developing plans to address their respective county's most pressing needs. To ensure communities retain developmental control and a vested interest in their plans, the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health should support, rather than lead, these public health efforts. Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary to address these concerns.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have appropriated an unspecified amount of funds to the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health for the pilot program established in this measure;

(2) Inserting language appropriating an unspecified amount of funds to the Department of Health for the establishment of one permanent full-time equivalent Program Specialist IV position within the Department of Health's Family Health Services Division to oversee development of the community plans and coordinate efforts to address health equity issues affecting underserved rural areas of the State;

(3) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(4) 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 Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 759, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 759, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair