STAND. COM. REP. NO.  652

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 705

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 705 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR HANA HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds for Hana Health, a health care facility in Hana, Maui in a medically underserved area, to maintain its operations and to increase its capacity for increasing needs of medical services in that area.

     Hana Health and seven individuals submitted testimony in support of the bill.  The Department of the Attorney General offered comments.

     Your Committee finds that Hana Health is the only health care facility in Hana, located in a remote, medically underserved area.  Hana Health provides health care to many local residents and to hundreds of visitors who require urgent and emergency care annually.  Despite its substandard kitchen, Hana Health provides thousands of snacks and meals each year to students, seniors, and others in need.

     Your Committee believes that an appropriation of funds will enable Hana Health's substandard kitchen to be replaced and will allow the health center to provide continued and expanded medical care and outreach services, including meals and snacks to local residents of Hana and visitors alike.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 705 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

JOSHUA B. GREEN, M.D., Chair