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. 3146 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide intra-island aeromedical services to rural Oahu.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Defense, City and County of Honolulu - Emergency Services Department, Pacific Medical Assets, and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that Army's Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) helicopter will cease civilian helicopter transports on Oahu due to its planned return to Iraq. For the past several years, the MAST helicopter has been transporting critically injured patients who require medical attention from rural parts of Oahu to metropolitan hospitals and trauma facilities. This aeromedical helicopter is a tremendous asset to the medical community and patients whose lives depend on specialized medical procedures not available to them at their local hospitals.

Your Committee has amended this measure to allow the Department of Health to contract with a private entity, in addition to a government agency or United States military unit, for aeromedical helicopter service. Additionally, your Committee amended this measure to require matching funds from the City and County of Honolulu to be consistent. Aeromedical helicopter service provided on Maui and Big Island require matching funds from the county for which the service is provided.

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. 3146, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3146, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.