STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3790
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: H.C.R. No. 95
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Twenty-Ninth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2018
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 95 entitled:
"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION OAHU REGIONAL BOARD TO ASSESS THE AVAILABILITY OF LONG-TERM CARE BEDS ON OAHU AND TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CLOSURE OF LEAHI HOSPITAL AND MALUHIA LONG-TERM CARE HEALTH CENTER,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Oahu Regional Board to assess the availability of long-term care beds in the City and County of Honolulu and develop recommendations regarding the closure of Leahi Hospital, Maluhia Long-Term Care Health Center, or both.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Kupuna Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i and Hawaii Advocates For Consumer Rights. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, UPW/AFSCME Local 646 AFL-CIO, and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association and one individual.
Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation provides long-term care services on Oahu through Leahi Hospital and Maluhia Long-Term Care Health Center. Your Committee further finds that long-term care facilities relieve financial and capacity pressures on acute care facilities and that acute care facilities often have waitlists of patients who have recovered sufficiently to no longer need the acute level of care that a hospital provides but for whom a long-term care bed is unavailable. Your Committee further finds that the need for long-term care services is likely to grow as Hawaii's population continues to age. Your Committee also finds that closing long-term care facilities will only worsen this problem, and that the availability of long-term care facilities should be studied throughout the State.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Expanding its focus to include long-term care facilities on East Hawaii, West Hawaii, and Kauai;
(2) Removing the request for the Oahu Regional Board to develop recommendations regarding potential closures of Leahi Hospital and Maluhia Long-Term Care Health Center;
(3) Including additional information about the effect of waitlists for long-term care beds on acute care facilities, reimbursement rates for long-term care patients, and past studies done on waitlists;
(4) Requesting the Oahu, East Hawaii, West Hawaii, and Kauai Regional Boards to assess their needs for long-term care placements and the effect of the availability of long-term care beds on wait times for acute care beds, and develop recommendations regarding the effect of the availability of long-term care beds on wait times for acute care beds;
(5) Amending its title in accordance with its amended purpose; and
(6) 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 Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 95, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 95, S.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,
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________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair |
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