Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2465 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation grant to Queen's Medical Center to increase its emergency power generator system to ensure that it has the maximum capacity of 6,000 kilowatts necessary to function in a disaster.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, State Civil Defense, Oahu Civil Defense, the Queen's Medical Center. Comments were received from Hawaii Pacific Health.

Your Committee finds that The Queen's Medical Center is the only medical facility in this State with a trauma center that is certified by the American College of Surgeons. While most hospitals are equipped with emergency facilities to deal with patients needing immediate care, a trauma center is specially equipped for dealing with serious and life-threatening injuries. A critical component of a properly equipped trauma center is an operating room served by various medical specialists, diagnostic equipment, and other life-support systems. It is vital to have sufficient emergency energy capacity in order to support the operation of a trauma center during a disaster.

The Queen's Medical Center currently has two emergency generators with a total installed capacity of two thousand kilowatts. It is estimated that peak demand during a disaster would be six thousand kilowatts. Part of this estimated demand is to operate water pumps that draw water from the hospital's private wells if the public supply becomes unavailable. This necessary additional energy capacity will require three additional operating generators and one standby generator. A new storage structure for the generators, one that is capable of withstanding the wind force of a category five hurricane, is also needed.

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. 2465 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.