SB3237

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that virtually all of Hawaii's senior citizens want to age in place at home rather than in a care home or institution, yet many will need a more intensive caregiving environment in their later years. Medicaid long-term care costs for the State have been increasing steadily and financial projections portend significantly greater costs, especially with baby boomers starting to retire. Public policy goals for long-term care currently include:

(1) Creating a continuum of care, up to and including the terminal phase of life;

(2) Coordinating referral and case management through single-entry contact;

(3) Building a family caregiver support system to encourage care of disabled elderly;

(4) Expanding the capacity of long-term care service providers;

(5) Stimulating and coordinating research, education, and training on aging issues; and

(6) Developing a cost-effective service delivery and financial assistance approach for long-term care services.

The legislature further finds that co-locating key parts of a long-term care system would encourage holistic and integrative thinking, stimulate creativity and pilot programs, enhance cost efficiencies, centralize access to services, and focus public attention on aging issues.

Leahi hospital has begun the process of developing a master plan to address the State's long-term care public policy goals. Leahi hospital is the State's oldest and largest long-term care facility that has had no major construction since 1951. Opened in 1902, Leahi hospital is centrally located in the east Honolulu urban region and has one hundred seventy-nine skilled nursing facility/intermediate care facility beds and eleven tuberculosis beds spread among five buildings on a 6.7 acre campus, which is adjacent to ten acres of state property of which parts are vacant and others contain aging buildings. Kapiolani community college, with its family caregiver training program, is also located next to Leahi hospital.

The process of developing a master plan for Leahi hospital will offer an opportunity to create innovative and effective models of long-term care services, including residential care. The purpose of this Act is to give expression to long-term care public policy goals by developing a master plan for long-term care for Leahi hospital.

SECTION 2. Leahi hospital; long-term care master plan; task force; report. (a) The Hawaii health systems corporation Oahu regional board shall convene a task force to develop a long-term care master plan for Leahi hospital and adjacent state lands, totaling 16.4 acres. The task force shall consist of seventeen members as follows:

(1) Five members shall be appointed by the governor;

(2) Five members shall be appointed by the president of the senate;

(3) Five members shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(4) One member shall be the administrator of Leahi hospital or the administrator's designee; and

(5) One member shall be the chairperson of the regional board in which Leahi hospital is located or the chairperson's designee.

(b) Members shall serve a term of two years and shall have a background in one or more of the following areas:

(1) Long-term care or aging services;

(2) Leahi clinical operations;

(3) Research or education;

(4) Aging or disability advocacy;

(5) Residential care facilities development;

(6) Architecture or interior design; and

(7) Project planning and supervision.

(c) The task force shall select its chair, who shall commence task force meetings, and vice chair and shall adopt rules for the conduct of its work. The task force shall conduct its business in a collaborative manner and include interested stakeholders who wish to contribute to the master plan.

(d) The master plan shall:

(1) Provide guidance for future development of the Leahi campus and other parcels, by improving the hospital's facilities while addressing the State's long-term care goals;

(2) Provide the conceptual framework for Leahi hospital's role in developing a continuum of care system in Hawaii;

(3) Articulate the principles, goals, strategies for development;

(4) Update Leahi hospital's mission and vision;

(5) Recommend an implementation plan in phases, over a ten-year period, and near-term actions, to include a financial feasibility study;

(6) Include the following tax map keys: 3‑2‑30:1, 3‑2‑31:1, 3‑2‑31:15, 3‑2‑32:1, 3‑2‑33:1, and 3‑2‑33:3 in the description of its master plan;

(7) Provide programs that may include:

(A) Long-term care and family caregiver education and training;

(B) Innovative models of residential care;

(D) Community-based programs such as adult day care and day health, respite care; assistive technology; University of Hawaii center on aging research and education programs; and aging and disability resource center programs;

(8) Include resources to enable Leahi hospital to become a teaching center on "best practices" in long-term care for service providers and facilities managers throughout the State;

(9) Provide an inventory of lands and facilities;

(10) Identify issues regarding land tenure and identify action steps and make recommendations necessary to implement the master plan;

(11) Address administration of lands and facilities by an independent authority to be established; and

(12) Recommend options for governance of lands and facilities.

(e) The task force shall complete the master plan by December 31, 2010. The task force shall submit preliminary and final reports of findings and recommendations, including any necessary proposed legislation, not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular sessions of 2009 and 2010, respectively.

(f) The task force shall terminate on December 31, 2010.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $375,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the Hawaii health systems corporation Oahu regional board to contract for professional assistance in developing the Leahi hospital master plan and for staff support for the task force under section 2.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii health systems corporation Oahu regional board for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval, except that section 3 shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	3237
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII