2018-01-22 Letter to John Mizuno re HB1616 Puna Ambulance

Home

Harry Kim A4ayor C:ountvnfthiai1 Wil Okabe A4anaging Director Barbara J. Kossow Deputy Managing Director Offirr of ftir Alvin 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 • (808) 961-8211 • Fax (808) 961-6553 KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy., Bldg C • Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 (808) 323-4444 • Fax (808) 323-4440 January 22, 2018 Honorable John Mizuno Chair, House Committee on Health and Human Services Hawaii State Capitol Dear Chair Mizuno and Committee Members: Re: HB 1616 Relating to Health [Puna ambulance] Hearing Date: January 24, 2018 I strongly support HB 1616. A new ambulance for the Puna District of the Big Island would be of tremendous value, and there is little I can add to the preamble of HB 1616 which does an excellent job of laying out the case. The district of Puna is the fastest growing district in the State; and thus, has increasing calls for emergency medical services. Currently, the high demand for Puna emergency services means Hilo ambulances need to travel to Puna for emergency calls. Hilo ambulances sometimes need to travel over thirty miles with some of those miles on substandard unpaved roads. Every Hilo ambulance that responds to a Puna emergency means one less ambulance available for Hilo, the second largest city in the State; and thus, an ambulance based in Puna not only benefits Puna, but also benefits the rest of East Hawaii Island. It takes an average round-trip of almost two hours to respond to each Puna emergency call. Emergency calls from Puna have increased to over five thousand calls per year. It is common for paramedics to have over ten transports in each work shift, which equates to twenty or more hours for each twenty-four hour shift. Because of this increase in calls, Hilo paramedic units, which are the busiest on the island, are often dispatched into the Puna district to cover the area when the Puna paramedic units are responding to other calls. This results in fewer Hilo paramedic units being available to respond to Hilo emergency calls. A new advanced life support ambulance will help reduce death and disability among residents and visitors alike. Please act favorably on HB 1616. Resp ctfully submitted, Harry Kim Mayor, County of Hawaii County of 1 lavvai` i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.