THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	86
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING ONGOING COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO IMPLEMENT A STATEWIDE STRATEGY TO ELIMINATE VIRAL HEPATITIS TYPES A, B, AND C IN HAWAII.

 

 

        WHEREAS, viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by a preventable, treatable viral infection; and

 

        WHEREAS, the most common forms of viral hepatitis in the United States are hepatitis types A, B, and C; and

 

        WHEREAS, viral hepatitis types B and C have been linked to cirrhosis and liver cancer, diseases that affect Hawaii residents at disproportionately high rates; and

 

        WHEREAS, the State's hepatitis B mortality rate is higher than that of the nationwide average and was nearly triple the nationwide average in 2019; and

 

        WHEREAS, the life expectancy for Hawaii residents living with hepatitis C is twenty years less than that of residents living without hepatitis C; and

 

        WHEREAS, certain communities are at higher risk for developing viral hepatitis, including indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander, incarcerated, veteran, homeless, pregnant, and LGBTQ+ communities; and

 

        WHEREAS, the State is engaged in proactive measures to help eliminate viral hepatitis in underserved and at-risk communities by expanding Med-QUEST to cover hepatitis C medications; offering syringe service programs to reduce the spread of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs; identifying and supporting foreign-born women and families at high risk of contracting hepatitis B; and ensuring that homeless communities are immunized against hepatitis A; and

 

        WHEREAS, state agencies and private organizations are also helping to reduce and eliminate viral hepatitis types A, B, and C by offering vaccines, testing, education, training programs, and care services; and

 

        WHEREAS, on July 28, 2020, Hep Free Hawaii, a coalition dedicated to increasing viral hepatitis awareness, issued "Hep Free 2030:  The Hawaii Hepatitis Elimination Strategy 2020-2030" (Hep Free 2030), a ten-year statewide strategy to help eliminate viral hepatitis types A, B, and C in Hawaii; and

 

        WHEREAS, Hep Free 2030 identifies awareness and education, access to services, advocacy at all levels, equity, and data driven decision-making as priorities to eliminating viral hepatitis in Hawaii by 2030; and

 

        WHEREAS, continued coordination and ongoing efforts are needed to further implement Hep Free 2030; now, therefore,

 

        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that this body recognizes and supports ongoing collaborative efforts by state agencies and private organizations to implement Hep Free 2030:   The Hawaii Hepatitis Elimination Strategy 2020-2030; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate and the House of Representatives acknowledge viral hepatitis to be a public health priority of the State; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate Standing Committee on Health and Human Services and House Standing Committee on Health and Homelessness are requested to convene a joint informational briefing following the completion of the Regular Session of 2023 and prior to the commencement of the Regular Session of 2024 to assess the progress and status of implementing Hep Free 2030 and determine any recommended future legislative action; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, Chair of the House Standing Committee on Health and Homelessness, and Co-Directors of Hep Free Hawaii.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:  

Hep Free Hawaii; Hep Free 2030; Hepatitis; Informational Briefing