SCR150

WHEREAS, the population of North Kona on the island of Hawai‘i has significantly increased over the last few years, which has corresponded with a steady increase in the need for convenient access to medical services; and

WHEREAS, today, the growing community of North Kona faces a severe shortage of medical care and hospital services, and an additional hospital in the North Kona community would provide further benefit to the area; and

WHEREAS, the accelerated and shifting economic and population growth in North Kona has created a regional urban core that is inconveniently located a far distance from the Kona Community Hospital, and the steep growth in population has overwhelmed the facility's ninety-four bed capacity; and

WHEREAS, as the only hospital servicing residents in West Hawai‘i, Kona Community Hospital is located along a single-lane roadway that is oftentimes gridlocked with traffic, increasing the difficulty for emergency vehicles and those seeking care to access the hospital quickly; and

WHEREAS, although there have been efforts to expand Kona Community Hospital, improvements have been stalled due to the facility's wastewater system, which has currently reached capacity; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the logistical issues with the location of the Kona Community Hospital, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic's effect on West Hawai‘i has underscored concerns with staffing shortages, which are further exacerbated by medical professionals who are required to commute from the North Kona area; and

WHEREAS, in 2021, the Senate offered Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 53, Senate Draft 1, Regular Session of 2021, which requested the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation to conduct a feasibility study for construction of a hospital in North Kona and an assessment of health care needs of the West Hawai‘i region; and

WHEREAS, in response to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 53, Senate Draft 1, the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation has confirmed that it would complete the requested feasibility study; and

WHEREAS, in response to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 53, Senate Draft 1, Community First Hawaii has confirmed that it would complete an island-wide community health needs assessment; and

WHEREAS, the findings from the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation feasibility study and the community health needs assessment conducted by Community First, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in Hawaii will identify the need for a hospital to serve North Kona; 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 Hawaii Health Systems Corporation is requested to convene a task force to:

(1) Review the findings of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation's feasibility study as requested by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 53, Senate Draft 1, and Community First, Inc.'s island-wide health care needs assessment to identify the need for a hospital to serve North Kona; and

(2) Collaborate and work with the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Land Division to conduct a site assessment to identify and evaluate viable locations for a new hospital site in North Kona at the appropriate time; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to include the following members or their designees:

(1) A member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate;

(2) A member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(3) The Director of Health;

(4) The Chairperson of the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

(5) The Regional Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, West Hawaii Region;

(6) A representative from Queen's North Hawaii Community Hospital;

(7) A member of the West Hawaii Regional Health System Board of Directors; and

(8) Any other representatives the Regional Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, West Hawaii Region, or the Regional Chief Executive Officer's designee, deems necessary; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Regional Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, West Hawaii Region, or the Regional Chief Executive Officer's designee is requested to serve as the chairperson of the task force; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that an initial meeting of the task force is requested to be held no later than June 1, 2022; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force, with the assistance of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to be dissolved on June 30, 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health; Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Corporate Officer; Chief Executive Officer of The Queen's Health Systems; and Regional Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, West Hawaii Region.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Department of Land and Natural Resources, West Hawaii Region; Hospital; Feasibility Study; North Kona

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	150
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII