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<br />WilOkabe <br />Managing Director <br />Harry Kim <br />Mayor <br />Barbara J. Kossow <br />Deputy Managing Director <br />County of Hawai‘i <br />Office of the Mayor <br />25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720(808) 961-8211Fax (808) 961-6553 <br />KONA: 74-5044lole Hwy., Bldg C Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 <br />(808) 323-4444 Fax (808) 323-4440 <br />January 24, 2018 <br />Senator Josh Green <br />Hawai'iState Capitol, Room 407 <br />Hawai'iState Capitol <br />Honolulu, HI 96813 <br />Dear Chair Green and Committee members: <br />RE:SB 2276 – Relating to Child Welfare Services <br />Hearing date: 01-26-18; 2:45 pm – Conference Room 016 <br />Thank you for this opportunity to testify in support of SB2276. <br />My staff and I have been made aware of the critical need to improve child welfare <br />services in Hawai’i County. While both your East and West Hawai’i offices are suffering <br />from a shortage of manpower, the initiative proposed in SB 2276 recognizes the reality <br />that it is in East Hawai’i where the State has the best chanceto hire and retain the <br />necessary personnel. <br />If the numbers I have seen are accurate, the child welfare caseload in East <br />Hawai’i is shocking and disturbing. Child welfare workers have so many clients that it <br />would be considered unacceptable by national standards, and the caseload is even out <br />of line compared to other counties in Hawai’i. Add to that the handicap of being asked <br />to cover a huge geographic area, requiring a great deal of time-consuming travel, and it <br />is no wonder that the community is begging for your assistance. <br />I am not sure why the positions and funding requested in SB 2276 should be <br />considered a “pilot project,” but if that is determined to be the best way to give some <br />relief to the East Hawai’i workers and the keiki they serve, then I defer to your wisdom <br />on that matter. My main concern is that the workers and their clients get the relief called <br />for, and the sooner the better. <br />Thank you for your consideration. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> Wil Okabe <br /> Managing Director <br />County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. <br />