Hawaii-2019-SR97-Introduced

WHEREAS, chronic absenteeism, poor health, and delayed or limited access to health care and preventive health services continue to hinder students' academic success and schools' ability to meet the needs of the whole child; and

WHEREAS, school based health programs support the Department of Education in achieving student, school, and system success by providing school health services to public school children in complex areas across the State; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education works with other state agencies, partnering health care and education organizations and interest groups, and families to improve attendance, behavior, and course marks; and

WHEREAS, these improvements are achieved by a network of school-community partnerships to improve access to and coordinate wrap-around services and address non-school factors that impede student success; and

WHEREAS, through school based health and community partnerships, the Departments of Health and Human Services have identified the extent of services provided within each department that are targeted to public school children and the need to coordinate internal departmental activity and cross-departmental efforts to develop sustainable school based health services; and

WHEREAS, vision services are in high demand for school-aged children; and

WHEREAS, approximately one in five children will naturally need glasses to participate fully in school, yet thirty-five percent of children have never seen an eye care professional; and

WHEREAS, in 1989, vision screening was mandated for certain age groups in Department of Education schools; and

WHEREAS, however, since the Department of Health program for vision screening was defunded in 1997, there have not been consistent recommendations for best practice methodology and follow-up; and

WHEREAS, it has become clear that further support and guidance is necessary to ensure best practice methods of vision screening; and

WHEREAS, the school based health programs and services provided to public school children through a network of school-community partnerships lends an effective means to continue collaboration between health, human services, and education policymakers and health care providers to achieve sustainable, achievable, and comprehensive improvements to the environments in which community members learn, live, work, and play, so that academic and health outcomes of Hawaii's public school students can be achieved; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, that the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Education, and Department of the Attorney General are requested to convene an interdepartmental working group to address the lack of a consolidated, consistent vision screening program in public schools for children in the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group include the following:

(1) A representative from the Department of Health;

(2) A representative from the Department of Human Services;

(3) A representative from the Department of Education;

(4) A representative from the Department of the Attorney General;

(5) A representative from Hawaii Keiki: Healthy and Ready to Learn;

(6) A representative from the Hawaii Primary Care Association;

(7) A representative from Project Vision Hawaii;

(8) A representative from the District 50 Hawaii Lions;

(9) A representative from the Rotary International District 5000; and

(10) Health care provider representatives, including but not limited to pediatricians, primary care physicians, eye care professionals, advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses, ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Department of Education are requested to enlist the assistance of the Department of the Attorney General in identifying barriers to consolidated, consistent vision screening in public schools, and proposing amendments to remove barriers in their respective statutes and administrative rules; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit their findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislative Reference Bureau no later than December 15, 2019; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to submit a final report of the working group's findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau, Director of Health, Director of Human Services, Superintendent of Education, Attorney General, Executive Director of Hawaii Keiki: Healthy and Ready to Learn, Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Primary Care Association, Executive Director of Project Vision Hawaii, District Governor of the District 50 Hawaii Lions, and District Governor of the Rotary International District 5000.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

School Based Health Services; Vision Screening; Working Group

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	97
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII