HB3347

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the earthquake and subsequent electrical power outage in October 2006, reinforce the urgency to ensure that emergency medical caregivers in the State have adequate facilities and energy capacity to address a massive medical emergency. On Oahu, roughly fourteen hours after the earthquake, only approximately half of the island's power had been restored.

The Queen's Medical Center did not have its power restored until twelve hours after the earthquake and used its five generators in the interim. During this time, the Queen's Medical Center did not have sufficient power to generate adequate air-conditioning, which affected the operation of essential computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scanners due to high temperatures, rendering them unusable for patient care. Had the outage lasted for very much longer or if there had been an influx of medical emergencies, the Queen's Medical Center and its patients would have faced serious consequences.

The legislature finds that the Queen's Medical Center is the only medical facility in the State with a trauma center that has been verified by the American College of Surgeons. While all hospitals are equipped with emergency facilities, a trauma center is a specially equipped facility for dealing with serious and life-threatening injuries. A critical component of a properly equipped trauma center is an operating room served by numerous and varied medical specialists, diagnostic equipment, and other life-support systems.

To support the continuing operation of a trauma center in the middle of a massive disaster, sufficient emergency energy capacity is vital. The Queen's Medical Center presently has five emergency generators with a total installed capacity of two thousand sixty-seven kilowatts. However, the estimated peak demand in the event of a disaster is six thousand kilowatts. Part of this demand would be needed for necessary infrastructure such as lighting, security, water supply, cooling, and ventilation systems. Another part of this demand would be to power the vital life-sustaining equipment and diagnostic tools necessary in trauma centers. The needed additional energy capacity to accommodate the estimated peak demand would require the installation of four additional generators along with a new storage structure capable of withstanding the wind force of a category five hurricane at an estimated cost of approximately $35,000,000.

The purpose of this Act is to provide financial support for the emergency energy needs of the Queen's Medical Center to ensure that it remains ready to serve the entire community in time of disaster.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $10,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 as a grant under chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for the Queen's Medical Center to increase its emergency power generator system to ensure a required maximum capacity of six thousand kilowatts to continue operating its hospital and trauma center in the event of a disaster.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	3347
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII