THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	138
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE 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 Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the House of Representatives 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:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Influenza Prevention; Assisted Living Facilities