Report Title:

Clinical Medical Services; Island of Hawaii

Description:

Appropriates funds to Kona Hospital for a program to address health care needs in the rural areas of South Kona, Puna, and Ka‘u.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2888
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO MEDICAL SERVICES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that there is a lack of hospitals and health centers in the southern portion of the island of Hawaii, leaving residents of the area with a serious lack of access to appropriate medical care.  The most efficient solution is to provide a mobile medical van to be stationed at and assigned to the Kona community hospital.

     The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to provide the people of the southern portion of the island of Hawaii with increased access to suitable emergency and clinical medical care.

     SECTION 2.  (a)  the Kona community hospital shall acquire a mobile medical van to be based at the Kona community hospital and shall establish a mobile medical van program to provide basic medical clinical services to the South Kona, Ka‘u, and upper Puna areas of the county of Hawaii.

     (b)  The program shall:

(1)  Hire medical personnel to operate and staff the van;

(2)  Establish routes and services for the areas of South Kona, Ka‘u, and upper Puna;

(3)  Work with the Hawaii county fire department to make the van available for situations requiring the van's service; and

(4)  Work with the department of education to provide medical services to the schools in the indicated district.

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the purchase of a mobile medical van, including necessary planning and equipment to provide medical care services in South Kona, Ka‘u, and upper Puna.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Kona community hospital for the purposes of this Act; provided that no funds shall be expended until an agreement has been established with an appropriate funding agency, public or private, to provide the Kona community hospital with funding to continue the mobile medical van program for not less than an additional two years.

     Any funds appropriated for a mobile medical van program

shall not replace any funding for the equipment or ongoing operation of the Kona community hospital.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________