Bill Text: HI SCR39 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for U.S. Veterans Suffering From Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-27 - The committee on HTH deferred the measure. [SCR39 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2014-SCR39-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	39
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO CREATE A TASK FORCE to STUDY THE POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF HYPERBARIC TREATMENT FOR VETERANS who SUFFER FROM POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.

 

 

     WHEREAS, it is estimated that between eleven per cent and twenty per cent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans experience post-traumatic stress disorder; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to data from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, in 2013 alone, over twenty thousand military members worldwide have experienced some kind of brain injury; and

 

WHEREAS, while not all of these injuries were deployment-related, many are due to the dangerous conditions confronting service members, such as land mines, improvised explosive devices, and grenades; and

 

     WHEREAS, hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized room which increases oxygen delivery to the tissues, with the benefit of enhancing white blood cell activity, stimulating the formation of new blood vessels, and allowing the body to naturally heal itself; and

 

     WHEREAS, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been found to significantly enhance the brain's energy production and minimize the intracranial pressure on the brain without any toxic effects on the brain or the lungs; and

 

     WHEREAS, case studies have consistently shown hyperbaric oxygen therapy to not only repair parts of the brain that may have been dormant but also to revitalize parts of the brain that had not properly been functioning; and

 

     WHEREAS, the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs have substantially invested in the research and exploration of complementary and alternative medicine, spending nearly $65,000,000 on research projects around the country focusing on whether current medical practices combined with alternative medicine techniques can help troops with injuries they sustained during war; and

 

     WHEREAS, the United States Department of Veteran Affairs has established specialized mental health centers of excellence to address the mental health needs of veterans returning from war, which has allowed researchers and clinicians to explore alternative treatments to mental health disorders; and

 

     WHEREAS, the White House has expressed strong support for hyperbaric oxygen treatment as part of the White House Joining Forces initiative, which supports returning veterans by reconnecting them to the resources they need; and

 

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine has joined the White House Joining Forces initiative by adjusting their curricula to refocus its research and clinical trials involving post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury to better serve veterans; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Human Services is requested to create a task force that includes representatives of health care professionals, the armed forces, and veterans groups, to study the possible benefits of hyperbaric treatment for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force, in considering the feasibility of hyperbaric treatment as a treatment for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, is requested to take into account any waivers or subsidies available from Medicare and Medicaid to facilitate hyperbaric oxygen treatment for veterans in need of treatment; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Services is requested to report to the Legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2015, on any findings and recommendations concerning the possible benefits and implementation of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services, the Director of Health, the Executive Director of the Office of Veterans Services, and the Dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for U.S. Veterans Suffering From Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury