Appropriates funds for the University of Hawaii School of Medicine to reestablish the Psychiatric Residency Stipend Program

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the State of Hawaii has an interest in assuring healthcare for its citizens, and that the social costs of untreated mental illness are incurred in increased unemployment, homelessness, domestic violence, crime, and unsafe schools, streets, and communities. Individuals with mental illness require the assistance of trained mental health professionals and appropriate mental health services to improve the quality of their lives. Recent findings indicate that mental health services are not reaching populations in rural areas, the neighbor islands, and those populations with high rates of poverty who lack insurance. Financial incentives need to be extended to physicians to treat the poor and medically uninsured in underserved areas.

A contract between the department of health, adult mental health division and the university of Hawaii school of medicine's department of psychiatry formerly provided monthly compensation stipends to psychiatric residents during the residency period in return for a promise to provide psychiatric and mental health services for the adult mental health division immediately after the conclusion of the resident's residency for a period equal to the time for which the resident received a stipend. The residents in this program served neighbor island clinics, including the mental health center on Molokai, and helped meet the needs of underserved populations and areas. Nevertheless, the stipends were discontinued in 1998 due to a lack of funds.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds for this cost-effective and beneficial program.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, to reestablish the psychiatric residency stipend program of the university of Hawaii school of medicine's department of psychiatry and the department of health to improve access to appropriate mental health services for underserved areas and underserved populations.

SECTION 3. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the university of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. The university of Hawaii school of medicine's department of psychiatry and department of health shall submit a progress report on their reestablishment of the psychiatric residency stipend program to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2007.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.