STAND. COM. REP. NO. 372

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1348

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1348 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a comprehensive, three-tiered stroke system of care throughout the State and create requirements for the measuring, reporting, and monitoring of stroke care performance through data collection and creation of a stroke database.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Kaiser Permanente, The Queen's Medical Center, American Stroke Association, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Clinic and Hospital, and two individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that stroke is the leading cause of chronic disability among adults in the State.  Rapid identification, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke can improve outcomes for stroke patients.  Your Committee finds that Hawaii does not presently have an adequate and effective system of statewide stroke care that emphasizes rapid assessment and triage of stroke patients.

     Your Committee notes the testimony of Chris McLachlin, the television color commentator for University of Hawaii volleyball games, who suffered a stroke while traveling in California.  Mr. McLachlin testified that he was saved by the fact that a friend immediately recognized that he was suffering a stroke and that he happened to fall ill a short distance from two stroke treatment hospitals.  Because Mr. McLachlin received immediate treatment, doctors were able to save Mr. McLachlin's life and reverse the paralysis he suffered.  Your Committee finds that in order to provide the best medical outcomes for Hawaii's stoke victims, it is necessary to establish a tiered stroke treatment system throughout the State to provide immediate and responsive diagnosis and treatment of strokes.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date to upon its approval; provided that this measure is fully implemented by July 1, 2015; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     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 S.B. No. 1348, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1348, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair