SCR156

WHEREAS, there is a significant shortage of prescribing mental health care providers available to serve the needs of the State's residents in rural or medically underserved communities, especially in Hawai‘i, Maui, and Kaua‘i counties; and

WHEREAS, the lack of access to appropriate mental health treatment has serious and irrevocable consequences; and

WHEREAS, according to the Department of Health, death by suicide is the number one injury-related cause of death among Hawai‘i residents; and

WHEREAS, studies have shown that people who attempt or commit suicide often received inadequate or no mental health treatment due to a shortage of mental health providers; and

WHEREAS, while the causes for suicide can be complex, the most commonly reported contributing factors are mental health conditions that, when identified and treated, respond favorably to therapy and psychotropic medication; and

WHEREAS, clinical psychologists are licensed health professionals with an average of seven years of post-baccalaureate study and three thousand hours of post-graduate supervised practice in diagnosis and treatment of mental illness; and

WHEREAS, the American Psychological Association has developed a model curriculum for a Master's Degree in psychopharmacology for the education and training of prescribing psychologists; however, the existing scope of clinical psychologists' practice in Hawai‘i does not include prescribing medications; and

WHEREAS, Hawai‘i has previously authorized prescription privileges for a number of other health care professionals, and federal facilities have long allowed licensed clinical psychologists with specialized education and training to prescribe psychotropic medications in certain circumstances; and

WHEREAS, residents living on the neighbor islands are disproportionately affected by the State's physician shortage, which is attributed to factors such as rural or geographically challenged locations, high costs of living, heavy tax burdens, and low reimbursements; and

WHEREAS, these factors were further exacerbated by the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, authorizing qualified clinical psychologists with appropriate advanced training to prescribe from a limited formulary of psychotropic medication will benefit Hawai‘i residents; and

WHEREAS, granting prescriptive authority to qualified psychologists will help meet the demands for psychological services in vulnerable populations and provide greater access to permanent mental health services provided by clinical psychologists, especially to those who live in rural or medically underserved communities; and

WHEREAS, establishing a pilot program that grants prescriptive authority to qualified psychologists who practice on the neighbor islands is a valuable first step in improving access to quality healthcare in the State and identifying the efficacy and value of a proposal for a future comprehensive statewide policy; 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 Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is requested to convene a task force to evaluate and provide recommendations to establish a pilot program that grants prescriptive authority to qualified psychologist applicants in the counties of Hawai‘i, Maui, and Kaua‘i; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the task force, with the assistance of the Board of Psychology, 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 be dissolved on June 30, 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Executive Officer of the Board of Psychology.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Task Force; Prescriptive Authority; Clinical Psychologists

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	156
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII