STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3488

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 21

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 21 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAIʻI HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION'S EAST HAWAIʻI REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM TO CONDUCT A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON ESTABLISHING A RURAL HEALTH CLINIC OR COMPARABLE RURAL HEALTH ACCESS POINT TO SERVE THE VOLCANO COMMUNITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation's East Hawaiʻi Regional Health Care System to conduct a feasibility study on establishing a Rural Health Clinic or comparable rural health access point to serve the Volcano community.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Lanikai Brewing Co., Volcano Community Association, Volcano Community Foundation, Cooper Center Council, and forty‑eight individuals.

Your Committee finds that Volcano is a uniquely rural and geographically isolated community on Hawaiʻi Island that is facing significant health care access challenges. The nearest major medical facilities to Volcano are located in Hilo, approximately twenty-eight miles away, requiring a forty- to forty-five-minute drive under ideal conditions. For many residents, particularly elderly individuals, those with limited transportation, or during adverse weather or volcanic conditions, this distance represents a significant barrier to care. Your Committee further finds that Volcano sits at the gateway to the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, one of the most visited destinations in the State. The area receives millions of visitors annually, dramatically increasing the number of individuals in need of potential medical services on any given day. Your Committee also finds that delayed treatment for otherwise manageable conditions often leads to preventable emergencies and increased strain on the broader health care system, underscoring the need for a more accessible, community‑based health care presence for the Volcano community. This measure supports the State and the Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation to evaluate practical solutions, including part-time providers, mobile clinics, or hybrid models, that can appropriately serve this unique community.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 21, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 21, S.D. 1.

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

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair