THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	61
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the Department of health to expand and improve Hawaii's healthy start program.

 

 

     WHEREAS, a healthy home is imperative for families of newborns throughout the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, positive experiences in early childhood can promote child health and development; and

 

     WHEREAS, home visiting programs provide individually tailored support, resources, and information to expectant parents and families with young children; and

 

     WHEREAS, in-home support is especially important for families at risk of child maltreatment and neglect; and

 

     WHEREAS, home visiting services address the risk of child abuse by fostering family functioning, promoting child health and development, enhancing positive parenting skills, and linking parents to community resources including health and mental health services, early childhood education, childcare, family literacy, employment, and social services; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's Healthy Start program, run by the Department of Health, is the State's primary home visiting child abuse prevention program; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's Healthy Start program was previously a statewide model but, due to budget restrictions, home visitation services are now limited to one site in Leeward Oahu and one site in Hilo on the Island of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, despite these budget cuts, the home visiting program remains of vital importance to at-risk families; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2017, the home visiting program conducted nearly 11,000 home visits, reaching 128 pregnant women, 712 parents and guardians, and 801 children in 840 households; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2018, the Department of Health received a highly competitive Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Health projects that during the current two year grant period, from October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2020, the combination of federal and state funding will allow the Department to reach more than 1,700 participants through the home visiting program; and

 

     WHEREAS, the benefits of the home visiting program were recently noted in a longitudinal study of Hawaii Healthy Start conducted by Johns Hopkins University, where the ten year outcomes revealed substantial benefits for a key subset of targeted families, extended across a range of health, parenting, and child development outcomes; and

 

     WHEREAS, the findings from the Johns Hopkins researchers are of great relevance for future Healthy Start development and research and also emphasize the need to continue, expand, and improve the Healthy Start Program, including the home visiting program; 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 is urged to continue expanding and improving its Healthy Start Program, including reinstatement of a statewide network of home visiting services; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Department of Health; Hawaii Healthy Start Program; Child Abuse Prevention