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.R. No. 98 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this resolution is to request that the Department of Health (DOH) establish a coordinated statewide effort to address fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

The Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii supported this measure. The DOH supported the intent of this measure and provided comments.

Your Committee finds that FASD is totally preventable, but that there is no statewide effort or plan to address FASD. In addition, there is inadequate data to define or describe the problem as the incidences of FASD is vastly underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed in Hawaii. Your Committee finds that in order to be effective, a statewide effort must be coordinated and include public awareness; professional education; screening, diagnoses, and intervention with high-risk populations; and surveillance and data collection.

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.R. No. 98 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.