STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3532

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 176

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.R. No. 176 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT A STUDY TO ASSESS THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF THE RESIDENTS OF OCEAN VIEW ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAI‘I,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Health to conduct a study to assess the health care needs of the residents of Ocean View on the island of Hawaii, including:

(1) Identifying the health care needs of the residents of Ocean View;

(2) Identifying existing health care resources and services currently available to the residents of Ocean View;

(3) Identifying unmet and inadequately-served health care needs of the residents of Ocean View, and further identifying the potential sources or causes of these gaps and deficiencies, to the extent the same can be determined;

(4) Identifying and quantifying patterns of disease, if any, in the Ocean View population;

(5) Identifying the number of residents of Ocean View who are beneficiaries or recipients of the Compact of Free Association, as ratified and amended, between the Federated States of Micronesia and United States; and

(6) Providing policy, operational, and any other pertinent recommendations to address the unmet or inadequately-served health care needs of the residents of Ocean View, and prioritize these recommendations according to relative severity and urgency of the health care need at issue.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Aloha Lokahi Association; Ka‘u Rural Health Community Association, Inc.; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Ocean View region on the island of Hawaii, is one of the fastest—growing areas in the United States, with the 2010 United States Census reporting a population of 4,437, up from 2,178 as reported by the 2000 United States Census. Despite the growing community, the lack of health care infrastructure has not been addressed, as there are no health care facilities in Ocean View and the nearest hospitals are in Kona and Kau, both a lengthy drive away. Your Committee further finds that before any action is taken to address the health care needs of the Ocean View community, it is prudent to first gather information about the health care needs of the community residing there. This measure requests the Department of Health to gather pertinent information about the health care needs of the Ocean View community.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 176 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

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JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair