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Education; and that was a statewide program and we’re all very familiar with that. I don’t think
<br />because of that I would lose any faith in the Department of Health effectively regulating these
<br />group homes.
<br />So, one, the need is there; two, I have faith in the Department of Health, and it’s not some willy-
<br />nilly proposal that takes it out of the hand of the community. In fact, most programs in Kohala
<br />and BISAC, Marimed in Papaaloa, they have a Community Advisory Board. People from the
<br />community sit on the Board, meet regularly and talk about progress and updates. In Puailani,
<br />Inc., a dual diagnosis mental health facility in Kailua-Kona, the people, it wasn’t just substance
<br />abuse, it was actually mental illness as well. And people were like, whoa, you know, not just
<br />jobs but crazy, too; and it’s this fear, the unknown. But nobody talks about the people using
<br />drugs that are down the street. They only worry about the people who are trying to get help.
<br />And, actually, we’re talking about if you look at group homes statewide on other islands and in
<br />our community, they’re okay. They say they’re good neighbors, just like any other neighbor;
<br />and that’s what this is, not an institution, not a facility but a home.
<br />ALAMEDA:Thank you, Mr. Kenoi. Seeing no further questions, you may be seated.
<br />KENOI:Thank you.
<br />ALAMEDA:Mahalo. Mr. Eric Carter?
<br />CARTER:Good afternoon. I testified in Kona. I was going to talk about the change
<br />in the proposed amendment that popped up earlier. As one who, I started kindergarten in
<br />Honolulu right after statehood, and I worked on Maui in high school 35 years ago and the
<br />observatory in Haleakala. And now I cringe when I visit Honolulu and, to a lesser extent, Maui.
<br />And as Commissioner Iwashita eloquently said on another issue, I don’t know if we want to
<br />follow those two counties’ paths in planning or lack thereof.
<br />And as an anecdote, I wasn’t going to say this, but after my previous testimony, I was at a
<br />potluck a week ago Sunday sitting at a table and a friend who is trying to get shelters built for
<br />hurricanes, he went to help out the Katrina in the Gulf Coast, he asked, “Oh, how’s that thing
<br />going in your subdivision with the Marimed issue?” And I started talking about it a little, and
<br />then another guy sitting next to me said, “Oh,” he said, “A very good friend of mine was a
<br />registered nurse. She worked at Marimed up in Papaaloa. She said the place was a nightmare,
<br />disaster, said the kids were in some big barn-like building with a lot of bunk beds; it was filthy,
<br />things were very bad. She felt her license and career were on the line. She quit and went, left
<br />the island.” Just as a little aside, that happened.
<br />This morning, I received a statement here from Ron Schumaker, who is the president of the
<br />Association of Keaau Ag Lots. And if I may, I’d just like to read his little short statement here
<br />since he couldn’t be here due to understaffing at his government job. “As I understand it, the
<br />proposed change to the definition of a family is a request from the Department of Health. I
<br />believe the underlining reason is evident, but so be it. With all the added Department of Health
<br />attachments to the Code, the forms, procedures, etc., are these attachments ever going to be
<br />revised? If they are revised, does that mean the Code, with all the attachments, must be revised
<br />as well? Same question if new requirements are added to the Department of Health’s procedure
<br />to license the various programs. Sounds like a never ending circle of paperwork, hearings,
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