HCR74

WHEREAS, Hawaii is at risk from various types of natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and tsunami; and

WHEREAS, Level II shelters are designed to provide protection during these emergencies for persons with Level II enhanced special health needs; and

WHEREAS, persons that would benefit from the special facilities available at a Level II shelter have special health care needs, such as attendant medical care, continuous health support, or dialysis treatment, or they suffer from disabilities and health conditions that would be difficult to manage in a general population emergency shelter; and

WHEREAS, it has been suggested that hospitals should function as Level II shelters in the event of an emergency, however, hospitals are inappropriate locations because their first priority must be to provide care for acute medical patients; and

WHEREAS, in October 2005, a Working Group was convened to address emergency preparedness for individuals with disabilities and special health needs; participants ultimately included the Disability and Communication and Access Board, Department of Health, Civil Defense Division of the Department of Defense, Department of Human Services, Department of Education, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Civil Defense Agency in each county, American Red Cross, Executive Office on Aging, Healthcare Association, the mayor's committee or commission on persons with disabilities in each county, Hawaii Association of the Blind, and Hawaii Services on Deafness; and

WHEREAS, the Working Group completed a Interagency Action Plan for the Emergency Preparedness of People with Disabilities and Special Health Needs in February 2007, which focused on emergency preparedness, notification, and sheltering as the most pressing issues; the 2007 Interagency Action Plan expressly noted that it is an evolving document into which other issues will later be integrated as the Working Group continues; and

WHEREAS, the 2007 Interagency Action Plan expressly stated as Goal 3: That the number and dispersion of community emergency shelters as centers to provide augmented health support for Level II individuals shall be increased, with the long-term goal of having all community shelters able to support Level II individuals; and

WHEREAS, despite the Working Group's recognition of the insufficient number of Level II shelter space to support Level II individuals, and despite the extensive and commendable efforts of the individuals and agencies involved in the formulation of the 2007 Interagency Action Plan, the critical shortage of Level II shelter continues to exist, and efforts to increase shelters for Level II individuals must be expedited; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Civil Defense Division of the Department of Defense is requested to develop a strategic plan to increase the number of Level II shelter spaces available for individuals with Level II disabilities and special health needs during an emergency by fifty beds per year for the next ten years; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Civil Defense Division of the Department of Defense is requested to develop the strategic plan in consultation with the Civil Defense Agency and the agency responsible for planning functions in each county, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Disability and Communication Access Board, the Hawaii Centers for Independent Living, the American Red Cross, and the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, who, in turn, are requested to cooperate with the Civil Defense Division in the development of the strategic plan and to provide information, support, recommendations, or other relevant assistance upon request; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Civil Defense Division of the Department of Defense is requested to provide any administrative support necessary for the development of the plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Civil Defense Division is requested to submit to the Legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009, a report of its findings and recommendations, including any necessary legislation, on the strategic plan to increase the number of beds available in Level II shelters in an emergency for individuals who have Level II disabilities and special health needs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Adjutant General, the Vice Director of Civil Defense, the Administrator of the Civil Defense Agency and the planning director of each county, the Executive Director of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Executive Director of the Disability and Communication Access Board, the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Centers for Independent Living, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Hawaii chapter of the American Red Cross, and the President of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Level II Shelters

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	74
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII