Bill Text: HI SCR26 | 2011 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Fall Prevention Task Force; Executive Office on Aging; Kupuna Caucus
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-04-18 - (H) Referred to HLT, FIN, referral sheet 61 [SCR26 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2011-SCR26-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
26 |
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TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011 |
S.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
ESTABLISHING A HAWAII STATE FALL PREVENTION AND EARLY DETECTION TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP A STATEWIDE APPROACH TO REDUCING FALLS AMONG OLDER ADULTS.
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that too many of our seniors suffer devastating and often fatal injuries due to falls; and
WHEREAS, one-third of our kupuna fall each year; and
WHEREAS, every five hours a senior is injured so severely by a fall that the senior must be hospitalized, often never returning home; and
WHEREAS, among older adults, falls in Hawaii are the leading cause of fatal injuries (45 percent), injury-related hospitalizations (83 percent), injury-related emergency department visits (59 percent), and injury-related emergency medical service calls (81 percent) and annually, among Hawaii seniors, falls result in 78 deaths and nearly 1,800 hospitalizations; and
WHEREAS, monetary cost notwithstanding, the physical and emotional cost of senior falls to our families is incalculable; and
WHEREAS, such falls are preventable and are not inevitable due to aging; and
WHEREAS, balance screening, medication reviews, and vision examinations are just some of the programs that can help determine those seniors who are at risk of falling; and
WHEREAS, a variety of evidence-based best practice programs can prevent falls, especially when incorporated with tai chi or other exercise programs; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the prevention of falls, early detection of fall occurrences is critical to expedite treatment, minimize serious long-term consequences, mitigate suffering, reduce the extent of injuries, and in some instances, avoid death; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Executive Office on Aging is requested to convene a Hawaii State Fall Prevention and Early Detection Task Force (Task Force) to develop a statewide approach to reducing falls among older adults by:
(1) Investigating and examining the immediate and long-term dangers of fall injuries on our senior population;
(2) Examining the fiscal impact of senior falls on our medical system and health care costs;
(3) Recommending appropriate interventions and prevention programs to reduce falls and health care costs associated with falls;
(4) Investigating the most effective means to enhance public awareness that falls are preventable;
(5) Reviewing the potential for increasing the statewide availability and accessibility of fall prevention and early detection services and programs that effectively use community resources for the elderly and their caregivers;
(6) Recommending measures that will promote early detection of falls, particularly for those who live alone or in circumstances where the likelihood of not being discovered soon after a fall is great; and
(7) Investigating the best way to expand the role of medical and health care professionals in screening, educating, and referring elderly persons to fall prevention and early detection services and programs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force consist of four members appointed by the Governor, four members appointed by the President of the Senate, four members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and nine additional members who are leaders in their industry or directors of their departments, or their designees, who shall collaborate with and support the work of the Task Force as requested, and who shall include:
(1) The Medical Director or Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation;
(2) The Dean of Geriatric Medicine of the John A. Burns School of Medicine;
(3) A representative of the Hawai‘i Fall Prevention Consortium;
(4) The Director of Health or the Director's designee;
(5) The Director of the Executive Office on Aging or the Director's designee;
(6) The County Executive of the Elderly Affairs Division of the Department of Community Services of the City and County of Honolulu or the County Executive's designee;
(7) The County Executive of the Maui County Office on Aging or the County Executive's designee;
(8) The County Executive of the Kauai Agency on Elderly Affairs or the County Executive's designee; and
(9) The County Executive of the Hawaii County Office of Aging or the County Executive's designee; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of the Executive Office on Aging be designated as the Chair of the Task Force; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Task Force have a background in elderly services, geriatric medicine, geriatric pharmacology, business, insurance, health care, long-term care, hospital administration, risk management, or public policy development, or be an advocate for or consumer of elderly care services; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Task Force be appointed as soon as practicable, but no later than July 1, 2011; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that:
(1) The Task Force is requested to convene before August 15, 2011, whether or not all membership appointments have been made at that time, at a place chosen by the convener;
(2) The Department of Health and Executive Office on Aging is requested to provide administrative support to the Task Force; and
(3) The Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to assist the Task Force in drafting any proposed legislation in the Task Force's final report; provided that the Chairperson of the Task Force submits a draft of the proposed legislation to the Legislative Reference Bureau no later than November 1, 2012; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if the Task Force has any vacancies in its membership on or after August 15, 2011, the Task Force may appoint persons to fill those vacancies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force is requested to collaborate with interested stakeholders, including health care facilities, community coalitions, government agencies, and organizations concerned with protecting kupuna and preventing and detecting falls; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force submit an interim report to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2012, describing the progress made by the Task Force, including its review of fall prevention data and the impact of senior falls on the State's medical system and health care costs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force submit a final report, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2013; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives; Medical Director of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Dean of Geriatric Medicine of the John A. Burns School of Medicine; Hawai‘i Fall Prevention Consortium; Director of Health; Director of the Executive Office on Aging; University of Hawai‘i Center on Aging; County Executive of the Elderly Affairs Division of the Department of Community Services of the City and County of Honolulu; County Executive of the Maui County Office on Aging; County Executive of the Kauai Agency on Elderly Affairs; County Executive of the Hawaii County Office of Aging; and Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Fall Prevention Task Force; Executive Office on Aging; Kupuna Caucus
