STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1316

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 6
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education and Technology, to which was
referred S.C.R. No. 6 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING THE UNIVERSITY OF
     HAWAII SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND SCHOOL OF NURSING TO REQUIRE
     COURSES IN PALLIATIVE CARE AND PAIN MANAGEMENT IN THEIR
     CURRICULA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to encourage the medical and
nursing schools of the University of Hawaii to include pain
management and palliative care in their required curriculum.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the
Executive Office on Aging, Commission on Persons with
Disabilities, and the Roman Catholic Church in the State of
Hawaii.  Testimony in support with amendments was received from
the Hawaii Nurses Association.

     Your Committee finds that palliative care and adequate pain
management are essential for patients who are terminally ill.
Unfortunately, adequate levels of this care have not always been
available.  Barriers range from a health care model that has
tended to treat all diseases very aggressively to unfounded fears
regarding the administration of controlled substances.

     Your Committee further finds that dying patients must
receive the best possible care to ease pain and make the dying
process as dignified as possible.  With knowledge of palliative

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1316
                                   Page 2


care and pain management, these new health care professionals
will be better prepared to deal with dying patients.

     This measure will encourage increased education about
palliative care and pain management for health care professionals
who have severely ill and dying patients.  Your Committee finds
that quality health care professional education will allow all
individuals to make informed decisions about how they choose to
live and die.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education and Technology that is attached to this
report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of
S.C.R. No. 6, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee
on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Education and
                                   Technology,



                                   ______________________________
                                   DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

 
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