House, Senate members attend signing ceremony for three important bills to become law

Several House and Senate lawmakers attended a ceremony June 16 with Gov.  David Ige as he signed three important bills into law.

The bills included HB 2252 (ACT 69) that will require hospitals to adopt and maintain written discharge policies that are consistent with recent updates to federal regulations. The new law requires hospitals to explain and demonstrate medical and nursing tasks required of family caregivers once the patient returns home from the hospital.

The CARE Act recognizes the critical role of Hawaii’s unpaid family caregivers who keep family members and friends out of costly institutions, providing them with the tools to safely and efficiently care for loved ones at home.

The CARE Act features three provisions:

1.     The caregiver’s name is recorded when a loved one is admitted to the hospital.

2.     The caregiver is notified if the hospital is transferring the patient to another facility or releasing them.

3.     The hospital offers to instruct the caregiver on how to perform tasks at home once the loved one is discharged from the hospital. Tasks include medication management, injections and wound care.

“Many of our residents have no other option but to care for their loved ones at home. The CARE Act is crucial in giving families support, guidance and peace of mind as they care for family members and loved ones in the home,” said Gov. Ige.

With Gov. Ige’s signature, Hawaii becomes the 27^th state in the nation (plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) to support the CARE Act, to establish minimum hospital discharge standards across the board, to ease the transition from hospital to home.

The CARE Act receives no financial appropriation.

OTHER BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW:

SB 2392 (ACT 68) Relating to Opioid Antagonists: The law takes steps to reduce opioid-related drug overdoses by encouraging the use of opioid antagonists to assist individuals who experience or are at risk of experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose. The bill creates immunity for health care professionals and pharmacists who prescribe, dispense, distribute or administer overdose reversal medications such as Naloxone. The bill also authorizes police, firefighters, lifeguards, all emergency medical technicians, family and friends to administer this medication to anyone experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose.

SB 2453 (ACT 67) Relating to Aquatic Resources: Authorizes the court to require violators of certain laws pertaining to aquatic resources to complete an educational class and/or pay a monetary fine or perform community services in lieu of paying a monetary fine.