Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 230 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to support patient safety in health care facilities by creating a task force to make recommendations on the nursing shortage, nurse staffing, acuity systems, and other factors affecting patient safety.

The Hawaii Nurses Association supported this measure. The Healthcare Association of Hawaii supported this measure with an amendment.

Your Committee finds that there is a critical and growing shortage of nursing professionals in Hawaii, and that the health of patients is directly proportional to the number of registered nurses in a health care facility. Your Committee also finds that the Center for Nursing is charged with developing a plan for recruiting and retaining nurses, and conducting research on best practices and quality outcomes. Those testifying agreed that the task force formed by the concurrent resolution may be duplicating the efforts of the Center for Nursing.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this concurrent resolution by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 230, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 230, H.D. 1.