136
THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A PROGRAMMATIC AND FINANCIAL
    AUDIT OF THE ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE DIVISION OF THE
    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.



 1        WHEREAS, it has been alleged that the Department of
 2   Health's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division continues to be
 3   plagued with various programmatic and financial problems; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, these allegations include poor to non-existent
 6   quality control and auditing of contracts funded by the
 7   Department, non-compliance with contract provisions, including
 8   signature only supervision, false billings of one-hour
 9   counseling sessions, and use of below standard urinalysis drug
10   screens; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, further allegations include giving waivers too
13   frequently and easily to accept unqualified counselors as bona
14   fide providers of service, accepting insufficiently qualified
15   and trained personnel to provide specialized delivery of
16   perinatal related drug treatment, inadequately enforcing
17   industry standard codes of compliance and conduct, unreasonably
18   imposing paperwork demanded by funding sources on providers who
19   are not trained to use sophisticated tools that are not
20   nationally required in treating substance abuse, not providing
21   adequate educational opportunities for the training of
22   substance abuse counselors, especially on the neighbor islands,
23   using inappropriate outpatient treatment models to address
24   adolescent problems in school-based contracts which should
25   focus instead on prevention, intervention, and education, and
26   not providing for meaningful enforcement sanctions for contract
27   violations by providers; and
28   
29        WHEREAS, in light of these alleged problems in the
30   substance abuse program, it is in the public interest to
31   request the Auditor to conduct a programmatic and financial
32   audit of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department
33   of Health; now, therefore,
34   

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 1        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
 2   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
 3   Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to
 4   conduct a programmatic and financial audit of the Alcohol and
 5   Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health to ensure that
 6   the division is in compliance with all relevant programmatic
 7   and financial requirements; and
 8   
 9        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to
10   perform a complete audit of provider records comparing contract
11   criteria to program behavior against bill services (treatment
12   level assessment and diagnosis are based on contract funding
13   rather than accurate client need); and
14   
15        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health's
16   Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division is requested to:
17   
18        (1)  Discontinue the practice of extended waivers and
19             supervisory "signoffs" for uncertified counselors;
20   
21        (2)  Develop and establish a recruitment program for
22             certified and qualified counselors;
23   
24        (3)  Create and utilize a consulting panel for system-wide
25             changes in the delivery of substance abuse treatment;
26   
27        (4)  Seek to establish a two-year Associate of Applied
28             Science Degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling at
29             the community colleges;
30   
31        (5)  Commit the State in aligning with the National
32             Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors as the
33             steering association for certification and training;
34   
35        (6)  Slowly transition from a system of complete insurance
36             coverage for drug treatment to a system of copayments
37             for treatment; and
38   
39        (7)  Ensure that chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
40             adhered to by allowing professional and public input
41             in the development of new administrative rules before
42             adoption;
43   
44   and

 
 
 
 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 1   
 2        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to
 3   report the results of its audits to the Legislature no later
 4   than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session
 5   of 2001; and
 6   
 7        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health's
 8   Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division is requested to report its
 9   progress on meeting the goals as set forth in this Concurrent
10   Resolution, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior
11   to the convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
12   
13        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
14   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and the
15   Director of Health.
16   
17 
18 
19 
20                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________