STAND. COM. REP. NO. 531

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1004

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1004 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to ensure that individuals living in rural areas of the State have access to appropriate mental health care services.

     The measure attempts to accomplish this purpose by authorizing appropriately trained and supervised licensed medical psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medications for the treatment of mental illness.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Psychological Association; the American Psychological Association; Hawaii Medical Service Association; Hawai‘i Primary Care Association; Na Pu‘uwai; Papa Ola Lokahi; Ho‘ōla Lāhui Hawai‘i; West Hawaii Community Health Center, Inc.; Moloka‘i Community Health Center; Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center; Hamakua Health Center; Nanakuli Hawaiian Homestead Association; the Community Clinic of Maui; Waikiki Health Center; and thirty-four individuals.

     Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Health; the Board of Medical Examiners; the Board of Psychology; Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness; Hawaii Disability Rights Center; Koolauloa Community Health and Wellness Center; Hawai‘i Forensics Association, LLC.; and forty-six individuals.

     Your Committee finds that allowing appropriately licensed and trained psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medications will address the urgent need for timely, appropriate, and cost-effective mental health and pharmacological services for an underserved population.  Your Committee finds that the federally qualified health centers are most in need of psychologists with prescriptive authority and would achieve the largest impact for individuals in need of these services.

     Your Committee further finds that the adequacy of training for psychologists to prescribe medications is a recurring concern that should be addressed in further discussions.

     Your Committee amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring psychologists holding conditional prescription certificates to be employed by and to practice the prescribing authority at a federally qualified health center;

     (2)  Removing the language allowing psychologists to order and review laboratory tests, as this should be under the supervision of a physician;

     (3)  Clarifying that psychologists holding prescriptive certificates shall be under the supervision of a physician either directly or through telecommunications;

     (4)  Changing the effective date to continue the dialogue on this measure; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 1004, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1004, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair