HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	138
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the department of health to develop strategies to prevent the statewide spread of seasonal influenza with priority given to high-risk elderly residents in assisted living facilities.

WHEREAS, influenza, or the flu, is the most frequent cause of death from a vaccine-preventable disease in the United States; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, the flu epidemic has been widespread and has contributed to many deaths, particularly to those in high-risk populations; and

WHEREAS, influenza can be life-threatening for people aged sixty-five years and older because they are more susceptible to developing serious complications from the flu; and

WHEREAS, it has been estimated that up to 70 percent of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations and up to 85 percent of seasonal flu-related deaths in the United States occur each year in people aged sixty-five years and older; and

WHEREAS, the most effective strategy for preventing influenza is an annual vaccination and health officials recommend routine vaccinations for persons at a higher risk for influenza complications; and

WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of the State to protect high-risk Hawaii residents against the potentially-deadly influenza virus; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to develop strategies to educate the public, especially high-risk Hawaii residents, on the prevention and treatment of influenza and the risks and benefits of the flu vaccination; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to provide, by September 1 of each year, to each assisted living facility in the State, information on:

(1) The risks associated with influenza;

(2) The latest influenza vaccination recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

(3) The availability, effectiveness, and known contraindications of influenza immunization; and

(4) The causes and symptoms of influenza, the means by which influenza is spread, and treatment recommendations so residents may identify, treat, and prevent influenza; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health and the Director of the Executive Office on Aging.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Influenza Prevention; Assisted Living Facilities