STAND. COM. REP. NO. 424-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2968
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No.
2968 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE WAIANAE
     COAST COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CENTER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate $735,000 for
fiscal year 2000-2001 for the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health
Center for emergency services.

     The Health Center and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Health
testified in support of this bill so long as its passage does not
replace or adversely impact priorities indicated in their
Executive Supplemental Budget Request.

     Your Committee finds that the funding will support the only
24-hour emergency medical service on the Waianae Coast.  Without
the funding the Health Center must consider options such as
eliminating overnight emergency, lab and radiology services.  The
nearest other emergency facility is St. Francis West, located
sixteen miles from Waianae.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
2968 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred
to the Committee on Finance.

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 424-00
                                 Page 2

 
                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health,



                                   ______________________________
                                   ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair