Bill Text: HI SB2102 | 2020 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To The Executive Office On Aging.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-05-11 - Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Thielen excused (1). [SB2102 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2020-SB2102-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2102 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020 |
S.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
H.D. 1 |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE ON AGING.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by a novel coronavirus, was first detected in China; has rapidly expanded; and has now been detected in over seventy locations, including in the United States. The virus has been named "SARS-CoV-2", and the disease it causes has been named COVID-19, which and has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. The legislature further finds that the novelty of COVID-19 is a historic public health challenge and a reason the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other entities are unprepared for the outbreak of this aggressive disease.
The legislature also finds that while persons of all ages can become infected by COVID-19, elderly individuals and individuals with underlying health conditions are at greatest risk of dying from the disease. The first death in the United States from COVID-19 occurred in the state of Washington. The individual who died from the respiratory infection caused by the virus was traced to a long-term care facility in Seattle, Washington.
The legislature further finds that the outbreak of COVID-19 in the nursing home in Washington state sheds light on the vulnerability of residents in nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care facilities and the necessity of preparing for this rapidly-evolving disease. In particular, establishing protocols and strategies for long-term care facilities and caregivers who serve the elderly is essential because of the heightened risks of serious complications from the virus due to the advanced age and underlying health conditions of elderly patients and residents, as well as the close living conditions of individuals in these facilities.
The purpose of this Act is to take steps to protect Hawaii's elderly from the risks of COVID-19 by requiring the executive office on aging and all agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive funding through the executive office on aging to:
(1) Establish infection control protocols for caregivers to follow:
(A) Prior to and upon entering a long-term care facility; and
(B) Prior to and upon contact with patients in these facilities;
(2) Establish emergency preparedness and response protocols, including but not limited to visitation policies for long-term care facilities; and
(3) Implement COVID-19 testing of residents of long-term care facilities,
to prevent the possible spread of and containment of, if necessary, COVID-19 in long-term care facilities in the State.
SECTION 2. The executive office on aging and all agencies and nonprofit organizations, including the kupuna care program and kupuna caregivers program, that receive funding through the executive office on aging shall:
(1) Establish infection control protocols for caregivers to follow:
(A) Prior to and upon entering a long-term care facility; and
(B) Prior to and upon contact with patients in these facilities;
(2) Establish emergency preparedness and response protocols, including but not limited to visitation policies for long-term care facilities; and
(3) Implement COVID-19 testing of residents of long-term care facilities,
to prevent the possible spread of and containment of, if necessary, COVID-19 in long-term care facilities in the State.
SECTION 3. The executive director of the executive office on aging shall make a request to the governor no later than April 29, 2020, to allocate moneys from any of the funds specified under the proclamation issued by the governor on March 4, 2020, to fund the requirements of this Act.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Report Title:
EOA; COVID-19; Long-Term Care Facilities; Kupuna Care Program; Kupuna Caregivers Program; Infection Control Protocols; Emergency Preparedness and Response Protocols; COVID-19 Testing
Description:
Requires EOA and all agencies and non-profits that receive funding through EOA, including the kupuna care program and kupuna caregivers program, to establish infection control protocols, establish emergency preparedness and response protocols, and implement COVID-19 testing at long-term care facilities. Requires the EOA executive director to request an allocation of funds from the governor's emergency proclamation. (HD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
