Bill Text: HI HR156 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Resolution 156 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Recognizing And Supporting Ongoing Collaborative Efforts To Produce A Rural Health Care Delivery Hub Plan To Address The Physician Shortage And Improve Health Care In Rural Areas.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-16 - This measure has been deleted from the meeting scheduled on Tuesday 03-17-20 8:30AM in conference room 329. [HR156 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2020-HR156-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	156
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING ONGOING COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO PRODUCE A RURAL HEALTH CARE DELIVERY HUB PLAN TO ADDRESS THE PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE AND IMPROVE HEALTH CARE IN RURAL AREAS.

WHEREAS, Hawaii is experiencing a shortage of active physicians; currently, over 800 doctors are needed to fill the void, and the shortage is worse in rural areas like North Kohala; and

WHEREAS, recently, the University of Hawaii planned to expand the John A. Burns School of Medicine to Maui in an effort to train and keep more physicians in Hawaii, especially in rural areas; and

WHEREAS, the Dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, Dr. Jerris Hedges, stated in a recent Star-Advertiser article, "Our belief is that many [doctors] will choose to practice where they are taught."; and

WHEREAS, the proposed Maui expansion would enroll up to six students a year, or over twenty-four over the four years of medical school, while also serving as a base to expand residency programs for post-graduate specialty training, and this type of program is crucial to building the local physician workforce; and

WHEREAS, another rural area in need of physicians is North Kohala on the island of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, currently, the Hamakua-Kohala Health Center has plans for a new clinic, which provides the perfect opportunity to develop a Rural Health Care Delivery Hub (Hub) at the clinic; and

WHEREAS, the Hub is an anticipated joint venture between the Hamakua-Kohala Health Center, The Queen's Health Systems, the John A. Burns School of Medicine, the State, and the local community, and facilities of the Hub may include a clinic, dormitory, classrooms, and research infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, at the Hub, the health care community could develop culturally sensitive rural health care tools and programs that will be validated with research; and

WHEREAS, education and training in rural health care must include education on existing state and federal programs, tools, and funds that support rural communities, and this cannot be accomplished without a collaborative effort that is focused on developing a model rural health care delivery hub to train physicians and provide medical services to rural areas in Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, that this body recognizes and supports the ongoing collaboration between the Hamakua-Kohala Health Center, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The Queen's Health Systems, and others to produce a rural health care delivery hub plan to address the physician shortage and improve health care in rural areas; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, Chief Executive Officer of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Chief Executive Officer of The Queen's Health Systems, Chief Executive Officer of Hamakua-Kohala Health, and Dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine.