Laserfiche WebLink
f am speaking regarding Bill 345. This bill has been requested by the State Department of <br /> Health and desires to increase the number of unrelated persons living in a residence. The Office <br /> of Health Care Assurance licenses Special Treatment Facilities. It appears theses Special <br /> Treatment Facilities have an interest in density increase. <br /> A Special Treatment Faalities is defined as a facility "which provides a therapeutic <br /> residential program for care diagnosis treatment or rehabilitation services for socially or <br /> emotionally distressed persons mentally itl persons persons sufferirm from substance abuse and <br /> developmentally disabled persons." <br /> These facilities come under Title 11, Chapter 98 of Hawaii Administrative Rules <br /> (HAR). Chapter 98 states its' purpose is to establish minimum requirements for protection of <br /> health, welfare & safety of residents, personnel and the public in Specal Treatment Facilities. <br /> While increasing the number of unrelated persons legally residing in a house might seem <br /> insignificant, one may want to think about density from 5 to 8 or from 10 to 16 residents and also <br /> think about the Department of Health's own description & purpose of a Special Treatment Facility: <br /> ("a therapeutic residential program for care, diagnosis, treatment or rehabilitation services for <br /> socially or emotionally distressed persons, mentally ill persons, persons suffering from substance <br /> abuse and developmentally disabled persons.") <br /> <br /> • Because of this type of facility, one could easily surmise neighborhood difficulties, <br /> especially with increasing the number of residents. Nowhere in this chapter is there a requirement <br /> for the facility's staff and neighborhood to come together to resolve & or mitigate problems that <br /> could or have occurred when such a treatment facility becomes a part of a neighborhood. This <br /> bill/amendment proposes to increase density and leave neighborhoods on their own to deal with <br /> the problems. <br /> • Hopefully you will see a need for more attention to this <br /> bill/amendment. It is not an issue of Not In My Back Yard. It is Not an issue of No Aloha. It is an <br /> issue of putting in writing a requirement that the Dept of Health, Office of Health Care Assurance, <br /> the facility and the neighbofiood come together to develop a mechanism where problems can be <br /> mitigated and or solved so there can be success -a win/win for all. <br /> Comm. t~~ 1• ~3 <br /> Ref, io: <br /> Ref. Co~~ <br /> <br />