STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3475

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 687

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, and 687, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Hawai'i Health Authority

 

G.M. No. 680

NATHAN CHANG,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015;

 

G.M. No. 681

RITABELLE FERNANDES,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015;

 

G.M. No. 682

REYNALDO GRAULTY,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015;

 

G.M. No. 683

STEPHEN KEMBLE,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015;

 

G.M. No. 684

SEUNGTAI PETER KIM,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015;

 

G.M. No. 685

MARION POIRIER,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015; and

 

G.M. No. 687

JORY WATLAND,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Nathan Chang, Ritabelle Fernandes, Reynaldo Graulty, Stephen Kemble, Seungtai Peter Kim, Marion Poirier, and Jory Watland to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Hawai‘i Health Authority.

 

NATHAN CHANG

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Nathan Chang from one individual.

 

     Mr. Chang is a social worker who, in addition to running his own private practice as a therapist and consultant, was previously employed by Catholic Charities Hawaii for fourteen years and specialized in child protective services and family counseling.  For the past twenty-three years, he has worked as an instructor, Chair of the social work program, and Education Specialist at the University of Hawaii's School of Social Work.  Your Committee is confident that Mr. Chang's experiences in the academic, private, and public sectors as well as his commitment to social and economic justice will enable him to make numerous contributions to the Hawai‘i Health Authority.

 

RITABELLE FERNANDES

 

     Your Committee did not receive any testimony on Ritabelle Fernandes.

 

     Dr. Fernandes is a physician who works with many low-income minority or immigrant individuals at Kokua Kalihi Valley (Comprehensive Family Services) and Kalihi-Palama Health Center.  She is also a clinical associate professor in the Department of Geriatric Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, and a volunteer physician with the Department of Health's Oahu Medical Reserve Corps, among many other things.  Dr. Fernandes has worked to develop programs to improve medical services for hard-to-reach populations, helped to establish clinics based in public housing, and was fundamental in the institution of a home-visit program for medical students to learn home-based palliative care.

 

REYNALDO GRAULTY

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Reynaldo Graulty from three individuals.

 

     Judge Graulty is a retired judge who currently has a private law practice serving as a mediator and arbitrator.  Judge Graulty was a member of the State Senate and the State House of Representatives for four years each, after which he served as the Insurance Commissioner then accepted a position in the First Circuit Court.  Judge Graulty's vast repertoire of legal and governmental experience make him well-qualified to be a part of the Hawai‘i Health Authority and to face the challenge of addressing rising health costs in conjunction with the need to provide affordable quality health care throughout the State.

 

STEPHEN KEMBLE

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Stephen Kemble from the Hawaii Medical Association and two individuals.

 

     Dr. Kemble has been practicing as a psychiatrist in Honolulu since 1985 and has worked in private practice and at The Queen's Medical Center's Queen Emma Clinics.  He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School and has training in internal medicine and psychiatry.  Dr. Kemble has been involved in peer review for hospitals and health plans and served for fourteen years on the Board of Directors of the Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Foundation, the Medicare quality improvement organization for Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, and Wyoming.  Dr. Kemble also served on Governor Abercrombie's Health Care Task Force and has a long history of advocating for and addressing health care issues.

 

SEUNGTAI PETER KIM

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Seungtai Peter Kim from one individual.

 

     Dr. Kim is a private practice psychiatrist who was previously a professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Dr. Kim has doctoral degrees in medicine and psychiatry and Master's degrees in medical science and business administration.  Dr. Kim served on the Statewide Health Coordinating Council prior to being invited to serve on the Hawai‘i Health Authority and was the founding Chair of the Neuropsychiatry Department of Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, where he provided consultations on national health policy development.

 

MARION POIRIER

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Marion Poirier from the Hawaii Disability Rights Center and nine individuals.

 

     Ms. Poirier is a registered nurse with a Master's degree in health care administration.  She is also a health care consultant and served as the Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Hawaii for twelve years, the Hawai‘i Nurses' Association Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 50 for five years, and the Hawaii Hemophilia Foundation for ten years.  She has been named the Nurse Administrator of the Year and has been recognized by the American Psychological Association for her work in mental health parity.  Ms. Poirier's capabilities in working with mental and physical health from an administrative and practitioner standpoint will be of much benefit to the authority.

 

JORY WATLAND

 

     Your Committee did not receive any testimony on Jory Watland.

 

     Mr. Watland is a former parish pastor and chaplain who was most recently the Executive Director of Kokua Kalihi Valley (Comprehensive Family Services).  He also has business interests that are largely related to real estate.  Mr. Watland has a long history of community service through membership on the boards of many health-related organizations including the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Hawaii Primary Care Association, and AlohaCare.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair