Bill Text: HI SR65 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; Coordinating Council

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-25 - Report adopted, referred to WAM. [SR65 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2014-SR65-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	65
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

encouraging the department of health to establish a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder interagency coordinating council to coordinate and develop fetal alcohol spectrum disorder information, education, policies, and support services.

 

 

     WHEREAS, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is one of the most underdiagnosed developmental disabilities in Hawaii and across the country; and

 

     WHEREAS, nationwide, approximately forty thousand newborns per year are affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to Hawaii pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system data, one thousand three hundred women who gave birth in Hawaii during the years 2009 to 2011 reported that they drank alcohol in the last trimester of their pregnancy, and two hundred women per year reported binge drinking during their last trimester; and

 

     WHEREAS, there are more cases of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder than down syndrome, cerebral palsy, sudden infant death syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and spina bifida combined; and

 

     WHEREAS, the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure are lifelong and can include physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities; and

 

     WHEREAS, fetal alcohol exposure is the leading cause of intellectual disabilities in the United States, and individuals with diagnosed or undiagnosed fetal alcohol exposure often suffer from secondary disabilities such as child abuse and neglect, family separation, multiple foster placements, school related failure, juvenile delinquency, job instability, depression, aggression, and other serious mental health disorders; and

 

     WHEREAS, the intellectual disabilities and secondary disabilities come at a high cost to the individual, their families, and society; and

 

     WHEREAS, caring for someone with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder costs between $1,400,000 and $1,500,000 over a lifetime; and

 

     WHEREAS, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is completely preventable, and the devastating effects of fetal alcohol exposure can be substantially reduced by early diagnosis and appropriate, effective intervention; and

 

     WHEREAS, poor coordination of resources hampers prevention, diagnosis, and service delivery; and

 

     WHEREAS, fourteen states nationwide have established permanent fetal alcohol spectrum disorder coordinators who serve as key educational, informational, and coordinative links between departments and agencies dealing with persons with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and

 

     WHEREAS, the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder-specific services that exist in Hawaii are very minimal and the State does not have any coordinated effort to address the issue; and

 

     WHEREAS, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a statewide public health concern that has service, policy, and economic implications for virtually all state departments; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, that the Department of Health is encouraged to establish a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Interagency Coordinating Council within the Department's Family Health Services Division to coordinate and develop fetal alcohol spectrum disorder information, education, policies, and support services statewide; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council comprise no more than seventeen members as follows; provided that each member representing a state agency be a person with the authority to influence policy in the member's respective agency:

 

     (1)  At least three individuals who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or who are immediate relatives or guardians of an individual with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, with at least one member from a neighbor island, to be selected by the Governor without the advice and consent of the Senate;

 

     (2)  At least one representative of the Maternal and Child Health Branch of the Department of Health;

 

     (3)  At least one representative of the Children with Special Health Needs Branch of the Department of Health;

 

     (4)  At least one representative of the Developmental Disabilities Division of the Department of Health;

 

     (5)  At least one representative of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health;

 

     (6)  At least one representative of the Adult Mental Health Division of the Department of Health;

 

     (7)  At least one representative of the Special Education Section of the Department of Education;

 

     (8)  At least one representative of the Comprehensive Student Support Services Section of the Department of Education;

 

     (9)  At least one representative of the Judiciary;

 

    (10)  At least one representative of the Office of Youth Services of the Department of Human Services;

 

    (11)  At least one representative of the Social Services Division of the Department of Human Services;

 

    (12)  At least one representative of an agency responsible for the recruitment, training, or support of foster and adoptive families, to be selected by the Governor without the advice and consent of the Senate;

 

    (13)  At least one representative of a private nonprofit group concerned with services for individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in this State, to be selected by the Governor without the advice and consent of the Senate; and

 

    (14)  At least one individual from the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council is encouraged to meet at least quarterly; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council is requested to consider:

 

     (1)  Increasing statewide awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the general public and in at-risk populations;

 

     (2)  Expanding the statewide capacity to identify and intervene with at-risk women who are pregnant and parenting;

 

     (3)  Advocating, mobilizing, and coordinating state and community resources to assist persons and families affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder to receive the support they need;

 

     (4)  Improving statewide service delivery to individuals and families affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder;

 

     (5)  Facilitating development and implementation of a comprehensive, statewide system of care for the prevention, identification, surveillance, and treatment of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders; and

 

     (6)  Developing and implementing a statewide strategic plan to address the full range of lifelong fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention, identification, care, treatment, and education; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Council are requested to serve without compensation, and cost efficient means such as teleconferencing and videoconferencing should be utilized whenever possible; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council is requested to submit 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 2015; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, Superintendent of Education, Director of Human Services, Administrative Director of the Courts, and Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; Coordinating Council