THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	149
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Requesting the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health to initiate a 2030 One Shared Health Vision Plan in Hawai‘i county.

WHEREAS, improving public health is a complex issue that requires an examination of the social determinants that may impact whether a community has continuous access to health care resources; and

WHEREAS, a coordinated effort at all levels of government, as well as in collaboration with private medical providers, is necessary to support this important examination; and

WHEREAS, Hawai‘i County has faced disproportionate challenges in delivering appropriate, quality health care services to its residents compared to other counties in the State because of the many socioeconomically-disadvantaged, unserved and underserved rural areas throughout the island that are geographically distant from population hubs such as Kailua-Kona and Hilo; and

WHEREAS, according to a 2021 nursing education study, Hawai‘i County ranks third on the list of counties in the nation with the highest primary health care worker shortage, with fifty-three percent fewer doctors than comparable counties on the mainland due to the hundreds of Hawai‘i County-based medical providers having recently retired, moved, or reduced their hours; and

WHEREAS, the establishment of a strong health network based in Hawai‘i County would greatly improve the county's ability to coordinate care and can serve as a model of collaboration for other areas throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, the success of such a health network would result in Hawai‘i County being able to efficiently develop a ten-year health care plan, including preventative and primary health care, specialty care, and urgent and emergency care; and

WHEREAS, the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, part of the Department of Health's Family Health Services Division, is tasked with coordinating federal, state, and local efforts aimed at improving the health of the State's rural and medically underserved populations; and

WHEREAS, the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health is uniquely positioned to organize Hawai‘i County's efforts to streamline the delivery of quality health care; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health is requested to initiate a 2030 One Shared Health Vision Plan and establish a pilot program in Hawai‘i County; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health is requested to facilitate discussions with key community health and social service organizations in Hawai‘i County to address the health and wellness needs of the most vulnerable by aligning the goals, objectives, and availability of services of appropriate community health care service providers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health is requested to submit a report on the 2030 One Shared Health Vision Plan for Hawai‘i County, including any proposed long-term legislative grant-in-aid requests, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, Chief of the Family Health Services Division, and Mayor of Hawai‘i County.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Public Health; One Shared Health Vision; Pilot Program