THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

179

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AND SUPPORTING COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MOVE EXPEDITIOUSLY TO IMPLEMENT PLANS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANCER RESEARCH CENTER OF HAWAII AT KAKAAKO.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii's (UH's) Cancer Research Center of Hawaii (Center) is one of 61 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers in the United States; and

 

     WHEREAS, NCI designation is a highly coveted distinction, awarded after a rigorous review of the breadth, depth, and quality of a center's research programs; and

 

     WHEREAS, NCI-designated cancer centers include large and well-known facilities such as the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, as well as other entities that can be considered peers of UH, such as the Universities of Alabama, Nebraska, and New Mexico; and

 

     WHEREAS, NCI-designated centers have become magnets for cancer research funding, and collectively receive two-thirds of all NCI research grants and contracts; and

 

     WHEREAS, NCI-designated centers with a clinical care component represent the centers of excellence for cancer care in the regions they serve due to the high quality of their faculty and their access to innovative clinical trials and transitional research protocols; and

 

     WHEREAS, our state, with its rapidly increasing aging population, will be faced with an ever-growing number of cancer patients in the foreseeable future:  currently there are approximately 5,500 new cancer cases in Hawaii each year, and the numbers are estimated to double by the year 2030; and

     WHEREAS, the UH Board of Regents has approved the construction of new facilities for the Center adjacent to the John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kakaako to provide expanded facilities for research programs and to house a state-of-the-art cancer care facility; and

 

     WHEREAS, the 2006 Legislature, recognizing the importance of state support for the Center, directed a portion of the state tax on cigarettes to be deposited into the Hawaii Cancer Research Special Fund for the Center's research and operating expenses; and

 

     WHEREAS, key participants in the region, including those involved in cancer care, cancer research, and clinical trials, have spent considerable time and effort in planning for the development of the Center; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawaii and supporting members of the community are urged to move forward as expeditiously as possible to implement the plans that have been developed for construction of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii at Kakaako; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, the President of the University of Hawaii, the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the Vice President for Research of the University of Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Cancer Research Center