STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3681

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 25

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Public Housing, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 25 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING ALL HOSPITALS THAT PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE TO NEWBORNS TO PROVIDE PARENTS OF THE NEWBORN WITH WRITTEN EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ABOUT THE DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME AND THE METHODS OF PREVENTING SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to encourage all hospitals that provide medical care to newborns to provide parents of the newborns with written educational information concerning the dangerous effects of Shaken Baby Syndrome and the methods of preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Kaiser Permanente.  Testimony that this measure was not necessary was received from the Department of Health.

     Your Committees find that one in four victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome ("SBS") die as a result of their injuries and more than fifty percent of the infants and young children who survive SBS suffer from residual disabilities, including brain damage, mental retardation, paralysis, hearing loss, blindness and seizures.

     Your Committees further find that SBS generally occurs when the caregiver loses control of him or herself while caring for an inconsolable crying baby.  However, evidence suggests that SBS

is preventable when parents of the newborns are educated and are in control of the symptoms that may cause them to respond to their young children in a violent manner.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services and Public Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 25, and recommend its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services and Public Housing,

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair