RES 055 Draft 01 2008-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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COUNTY OF HAWAII RESOLUTION NO. STATE OF HAWAII 55 09 A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF FIAWAI`I AND STATE LEGISLATURE TO CONTINUE FUNDING AND RESTORE FULL FUNDING TO THE HAWAII HEALTHY START PROGRAM OR CONSIDER FUNDING 80% (9.46 MILLION) IF BUDGET CUTS MUST BE MADE. WHEREAS, Hawai`i's Healthy Start (HHS) program was initiated 25 years ago as a primary prevention project for children ages zero to three by the Hawaii State Legislature, which understood that the first three years of life are critical for healthy, normal child development and that adverse experiences by infants and toddlers are the root of Hawai`i's major social and health problems; and WHEREAS, HHS has since become a nationally recognized program that has been replicated throughout the United States of America, Canada, and Philippine Islands; and WHEREAS, HHS is the only program in Hawaii that provides preventative in-home services to the pregnant and families of newborns deemed at risk for unfavorable outcomes, such as developmental delay, abuse, or neglect; and WHEREAS, facilitating primary prevention and early intervention of potential developmental problems during the child's first three years of life has proven to significantly lower public special education and health care costs. According to Prevent Child Abuse America, the long term costs of failing to prevent child abuse and neglect are estimated at approximately $108 billion nationwide and includes costs for child welfare, mental health services, special education, and juvenile crime; and WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Department of Human Services data for 2007, HHS working under recent budgetary constraints has still achieved: • 99% of families enrolled for at least six months had no confirmed reports of child abuse or neglect, • 95% of families identified a medical home for their child's well and sick care within six months of enrollment, • 90% of women participants received prenatal care for subsequent pregnancies, • 70% of children enrolled received immunization before age two, • Children were screened for developmental delays as follows: 78% by four months, 84% by twelve months, and 81.73% by twenty-four months; and