STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1191

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 6

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 6 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING THE JOHN A. BURNS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND THE SCHOOL OF NURSING AND DENTAL HYGIENE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO INCLUDE BREASTFEEDING IN EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM TO EDUCATE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS TO ADVOCATE AND PROMOTE BREASTFEEDING AMONG EXPECTANT MOTHERS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage the John A. Burns School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene of the University of Hawaii to include breastfeeding in educational curriculum to educate medical professionals to advocate and promote breastfeeding among expectant and new mothers.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine, Hawaii Chapter – American Physical Therapy Association, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, Puna Community Medical Center, and one individual.

     Your Committees find that breastfeeding provides numerous benefits for babies and mothers.  Your Committees further find that health care professionals play a critical role in providing support and education to expectant and new mothers on the benefits of breastfeeding.  This measure encourages the schools that equip and prepare many of the State's future health care professionals to include breastfeeding curriculum as part of their preparation of these future health care professionals.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 6, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 6, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Education,

____________________________ JILL TOKUDA, Chair

____________________________ JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair