Bill Text: HI SB858 | 2021 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To Community Health Workers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-04 - The committee on CPN deferred the measure. [SB858 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2021-SB858-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
858 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, many rural areas in the State of Hawaii were disconnected and unable to receive adequate healthcare services. As rural communities struggled with connectivity, transportation, and financial obligations, community health workers provided a critical lifeline to ensuring its residents healthcare needs are met. With the rapidly changing global health pandemic, rural communities that have limited healthcare services are at a greater risk of receiving access to adequate, timely and life-saving healthcare services.
Many families living in rural areas comprise diverse communities, including low‑income, underserved rural areas, all ethnicities, children, adults, families, elderly individuals, uninsured individuals, homeless individuals, immigrants and migrant workers. Many of these families face language and cultural barriers that require further assistance and technology in the community.
The legislature further finds that with deepening food insecurity, increasing housing instability, slow job recovery, and the replacement of many in-person health services with telehealth services, the need for community health workers to bridge communities and systems of care is greater than ever. Increasing the number of community healthcare workers and standardizing their certification and training will help address these issues.
The purpose of this Act is to establish a task force to plan the certification and training process for community health workers.
SECTION 2. (a) The department of health shall establish a community health worker certification task force to plan the certification and training process for community health workers to help address the social determinants of poor health that disproportionately affect low-income, minority populations, which are magnified during times of crisis.
(b) The director of health or the director's designee shall serve as the chairperson of the task force. The director of health shall invite the following individuals to serve as the members of the task force:
(1) One community health worker from each county;
(2) A representative from the University of Hawaii system;
(3) A representative from the University of Hawaii office of public health studies;
(4) A representative from the Hawaii public health institute;
(5) A representative from the Hawaii public housing authority;
(6) A representative from the department of human services med-QUEST division;
(7) A representative from the Hawaii health systems corporation;
(8) A representative from the University of Hawaii west Oahu; and
(9) A representative from the University of Hawaii school of nursing and dental hygiene.
(c) The task force shall submit a report detailing the status of the plan for the certification and training process for community health workers required by this Act, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2022.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Report Title:
Community Health Workers; Certification; Training; Department of Health; Task Force
Description:
Requires the Department of Health to establish a task force to plan the certification and training process for community health workers and submit a report to the legislature. (SD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
