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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
17 |
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TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
SUPPORTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT HILO'S COLLEGE OF PHARMACY IN ITS EFFORTS TO OBTAIN FEDERAL FUNDING TO ESTABLISH A BEACON COMMUNITY ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII.
WHEREAS, federal funding opportunities for the increased use of technology in the provision of health care have never been greater and Hawaii's unique position, culturally and geographically, make it an optimal place to initiate health information technology projects; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Hawaii has been on the cutting edge of bold legislative initiatives to increase access to medical care throughout the State by supporting the innovative use of telehealth services and expanding the role of medical providers to practice at the full extent of their capability; and
WHEREAS, the island of Hawaii has some of the most rural areas in the entire State and is an ideal community to develop a sustainable model of health information sharing to help reduce health care costs, increase quality and expand access to care; and
WHEREAS, the island of Hawaii, as a community, led by the University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy in partnership with locally based hospital systems, professional organizations, health plans, health centers, academic institutions, utility improvement organizations, and many others, will be pursuing federal grant monies to be designated a Beacon Community Program; and
WHEREAS, the Beacon Community Program, federally funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will include $220,000,000 in grants to build and strengthen health information technology infrastructure and health information exchange capabilities, including strong privacy and security measures for data exchange; and
WHEREAS, the program's goal is to establish cooperative agreements with communities to build and strengthen their health information technology infrastructure and health information exchange capabilities to achieve measurable improvements in health care quality, safety, efficiency, and population health; and
WHEREAS, the resulting experience will inform efforts throughout the United States to support the meaningful use of electronic health records, which is the primary goal of the federal government's new health information technology initiative; and
WHEREAS, this project can be seen as a first step in the development of a statewide health information exchange and can serve as a learning environment to gain a better understanding of the issues that will be faced when the State is ready to promote health information technology on a larger scale; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature supports locally based efforts and collaboration to secure federal funding that will assist in making Hawaii a model for the implementation of health information technology; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature supports the University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy's application to receive a federally-funded Beacon Community grant; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, the National Coordinator of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of the United States Department of Health
and Human Services, the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and to the President and to the Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii.
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OFFERED BY: |
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University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy; Beacon Community