Hawaii-2013-HR129-Introduced

WHEREAS, health educators often work with hospital patients, elementary and secondary school-aged children, and community residents receiving primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention levels of health care; and

WHEREAS, credentialing of health educators first began in 1989 with the establishment of the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc., an international organization that awards entry- and advanced-level credentials; and

WHEREAS, credentialing is voluntary, and often persons who do not have any credentials and who do not meet the minimal level of competency hold themselves out to be health educators; and

WHEREAS, there are over 63,000 health educator jobs in the United States, and this occupational field is expected to grow by thirty-seven percent by the year 2020; and

WHEREAS, rapid occupational growth requires proactive government regulation to assure the standard of care in Hawaii is maintained by professionally trained, competent, and ethical professionals; and

WHEREAS, regulation of health educators will help ensure that:

(1) Recipients of their specialized work receive quality services at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of health care, including program assessments, evaluations, planning and implementation of health education services, and professional consultation and management services;

(2) Health educators meet minimum competency requirements in the profession, similar to requirements existing for other health care and educational professionals; and

(3) Members of the public, other members of the profession, and the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc., will be able to assist in maintaining quality standards in the health educator profession by means of reporting ethics violations or disciplinary action to the applicable state regulatory agency; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, that the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is requested to convene a working group to propose regulations and licensing requirements for health educators; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is encouraged to include representatives from the following entities as members of the working group:

(1) Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs;

(2) Department of Health;

(3) University of Hawaii System;

(4) Hawaii Pacific University;

(5) The Queen's Medical Center;

(6) Hawaii Pacific Health; and

(7) Any other organization the Director deems appropriate to contribute to the working group; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to report 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 2014; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Director of Health, Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, President of Hawaii Pacific University, President of The Queen's Medical Center, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Hawaii Pacific Health.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Health Educators; Working Group

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	129
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII