Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2187 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to ensure that the rural areas of Oahu are provided rapid emergency medical transport services by appropriating funds to the Department of Health (DOH) to contract with a government agency or a United States military branch to provide intra-island only roto-wing aeromedical services for rural Oahu.

The Queen's Medical Center, Hawaii National Guard Association and Hawaii National Guard Enlisted Association, Hawaii Air Ambulance, Inc., Pacific Medical Assets, Inc., and several concerned individuals supported this bill. The City and County of Honolulu (C&C) supported the intent of this measure. DOH opposed this bill.

Intra-island only roto-wing aeromedical services for rural Oahu is an invaluable service to ensure that necessary trauma care is reached quickly and efficiently for those who live in distant areas from an appropriately equipped trauma center.

Your Committee also recognizes the problems on the Neighbor Islands where reaching appropriate trauma care can be even more difficult. For example, Kauai is in need of roto-wing aeromedical services to supplement its fixed-wing transport system. Taking this broader perspective, the need to expand these services to the Neighbor Islands should be closely examined.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

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. 2187, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2187, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.