Senate bill good medicine

The Maui News
Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Editorial

Passage of Senate Bill 1792 could give what is wanted by everyone involved in the debate about Maui hospitals.

The bill, introduced by Maui Sens. Roz Baker, J. Kalani English and Shan Tsutsui, should be passed by the Legislature Thursday. It would set up regional boards to manage community hospitals now hobbled by parent Hawaii Health Systems Corp.

The HHSC was set up by a Legislature disgusted with the state Department of Health's fumbling efforts to manage the state's community hospitals. The effort was not successful, and did, in fact, just swap one bureaucracy for another.

A House-Senate conference committee has recommended passage of SB 1792. It creates five regions within the HHSC and funds the move with $750,000. The most important provisions in the bill are making the regional boards responsible for operations, administration and control of revenues, and exempts them from state procurement laws. That last item involves a protracted bid process for major expenditures.

With one board in charge, there is no reason why a local master plan for medical facilities could not be developed. Such a master plan could include privately financed facilities in South and West Maui and the integration of emergency, trauma, cardiac and long-term nursing care.

It could even consider what has been roundly hinted at – the construction of a brand-new, 350 bed Maui Memorial with emergency centers around the island feeding patients into the facility by helicopter. The old Maui Memorial could become a much-needed long-term-care facility.

The board for the Maui Region would also include three physicians, putting those who actually do the healing in a position of influence and responsibility. The Maui Region includes Maui Memorial, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital. Molokai General Hospital operates as part of the Queen's Medical Center.

Senate Bill 1792 isn't a cure-all but it would at least let the patients have a loud voice in the diagnosis.

Harry Eagar can be reached at heagar@mauinews.com.

Copyright © 2005 The Maui News.

Original article URL: http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=30099

Return to Sen. English Home Page - KalaniEnglish.com

Home Bills and Resolutions About Senator English Committees Community Profiles Newsletter Archive News Archive Capitol Web Site Media Photos

Connect with Senator English

OUR DISTRICT