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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION

  URGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS AND THE SPECIAL TRAINING OF
    PARAMEDICS IN THE TREATMENT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PATIENTS.



 1        WHEREAS, domestic violence is a major social and health
 2   care problem that needs priority attention from the medical
 3   community; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, it is clear that there is much room for
 6   improvement in the medical community's response to and
 7   protection of battered women; and
 8   
 9        WHEREAS, studies have indicated that women seeking care in
10   an emergency department are often victims of domestic violence,
11   and pre-hospital providers, or emergency medical service
12   personnel, are often first on the scene and have the initial
13   encounters with these victims; and
14   
15        WHEREAS, because emergency medical service personnel are
16   called upon to evaluate and manage domestic violence victims,
17   they must be aware of the unique problems of domestic violence;
18   and
19   
20        WHEREAS, emergency medical service pre-hospital medical
21   care standards are developed by the Department of Health's
22   Emergency Medical Service medical directors in consultation
23   with emergency physicians statewide; and
24   
25        WHEREAS, this system of medical oversight ensures that
26   there is continuity in the development of statewide medical
27   care standards appropriate for emergency ambulance services and
28   the delivery of quality pre-hospital medical care; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, emergency medical service personnel must be
31   trained to recognize domestic violence so that intervention can
32   begin, giving special attention to not only the physical
33   injuries but also the emotional needs of the victim; and

 
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                                     H.R. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        WHEREAS, emergency medical service personnel must be
 2   provided educational programs that incorporate information
 3   about domestic violence, including identification of victims,
 4   special aspects of care, scene safety, and documentation
 5   requirements; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, emergency medical service personnel must be
 8   trained in the treatment of domestic violence victims because a
 9   medical encounter may provide the only opportunity to stop the
10   violence before more serious injuries occur; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, without intervention, the domestic cycle often
13   repeats itself, escalating in frequency and severity, and the
14   sooner help can be obtained for a domestic violence victim, the
15   better the chance of saving the person's life; now, therefore,
16   
17        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
18   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
19   of 2000, that the Department of Emergency Services of the City
20   and County of Honolulu is urged to develop protocols and
21   special training, under the auspices of the Department of
22   Health, as initial and continuing educational programs, for
23   paramedics in the treatment of domestic violence patients; and
24   
25        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
26   Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and the Director of
27   Emergency Services of the City and County of Honolulu, the
28   Director of Health, the Chair of the State Emergency Medical
29   Services Advisory Committee, and the Executive Directors of the
30   Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Hawaii
31   State Commission on the Status of Women.