Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1226 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for a case manager to assist individuals with viral hepatitis with medical, housing, and ongoing counseling assistance referrals and acceptance.

Life Foundation, Hepatitis Hale Treatment & Support Program, Hawaii Chapter of the American Liver Foundation, and three individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Department of Health submitted testimony in opposition.

Your Committee finds that there is a growing concern regarding the spread of chronic hepatitis in Hawaii. Conservative estimates indicate that approximately twenty thousand people are currently living with the hepatitis C virus. There are many people who are homeless and have chronic hepatitis C virus that may die from this chronic disease unless they are treated. Hawaii presently lacks a case management program to assist the homeless population that is infected with chronic hepatitis and that is at risk of spreading the infection to others. A case management program will assist the homeless and other hepatitis patients get referrals to and acceptance for medical coverage, housing, and ongoing counseling. Similar services for the HIV/AIDS population are purchased by the Department rather than provided by Department personnel.

Therefore, upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure by requiring the Department of Health to contract for case management services to establish a hepatitis C virus (HCV) case management pilot program.

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 S.B. No. 1226, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1226, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.