| 47 | | - | SECTION 1. The legislature finds that, according to the department of health, more than one hundred ten thousand Hawaii residents are living with asthma and approximately one third of those are children. This chronic respiratory disease occurs most commonly among those eleven years of age and younger. Every year, over five thousand people in Hawaii visit emergency rooms due to asthma and another one thousand five hundred are hospitalized. Infants and very young children make up the majority of asthma-related medical emergencies and hospitalizations. Every year, asthma costs the State approximately $4,200,000 in emergency room visits and approximately $14,000,000 in hospitalizations. Although the asthma mortality rate has declined over the past ten years, there was an average of twenty-two deaths per year from asthma in Hawaii between 2013 and 2015. The legislature further finds that published research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the Journal of School Health has shown that students who engage in school-based asthma education experienced significantly fewer days with activity limitations and significantly fewer nights of sleep disturbance after participation in the intervention. For health care utilization, students reported significantly less frequent emergency department visits or hospitalizations between the baseline and follow-up surveys. School-based asthma curriculum designed specifically for urban students has been shown to reduce symptoms, activity limitations, and health care utilization for intervention participants. The purpose of this Act is to authorize the department of education to offer optional asthma self-management instruction to students and to require teachers and other department employees to obtain asthma training. SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II, subpart C, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows: "§302A- Asthma self-management instruction. (a) The department may offer optional asthma self-management instruction to students with asthma. The instruction shall be age-appropriate and the topics shall include: (1) Asthma facts, physiology, and early warning signs; (2) Symptoms and triggers of asthma; and (3) Asthma self-management skills. (b) The department may coordinate with any public or private entity to provide the instruction authorized under this section. (c) The department may use existing educational and training resources available in the public and private sectors when developing the instruction authorized under this section." SECTION 3. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part III, subpart B, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows: "§302A- Asthma training. (a) The department shall develop and provide required asthma training to teachers and other department employees who interact with students. The training required under this section shall include recognizing the symptoms of asthma and asthma management. (b) The department shall allow parents and guardians of students and any other department employee to attend the training at no cost. (c) The department shall set the standards and frequency for the training and may coordinate as necessary with any public or private entity to provide the training required under this section. (d) The department may use existing educational and training resources available in the public and private sectors when developing the training required under this section." SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored. SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050. |
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| 47 | + | SECTION 1. The legislature finds that, according to the department of health, more than one hundred ten thousand Hawaii residents are living with asthma and approximately one third of those are children. This chronic respiratory disease occurs most commonly among those eleven years of age and younger. Every year, over five thousand people in Hawaii visit emergency rooms due to asthma and another one thousand five hundred are hospitalized. Infants and very young children make up the majority of asthma-related medical emergencies and hospitalizations. Every year, asthma costs the State approximately $4,200,000 in emergency room visits and approximately $14,000,000 in hospitalizations. Although the asthma mortality rate has declined over the past ten years, there was an average of twenty-two deaths per year from asthma in Hawaii between 2013 and 2015. The legislature further finds that published research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the Journal of School Health has shown that students who engage in school-based asthma education experienced significantly fewer days with activity limitations and significantly fewer nights of sleep disturbance after participation in the intervention. For health care utilization, students reported significantly less frequent emergency department visits or hospitalizations between the baseline and follow-up surveys. School-based asthma curriculum designed specifically for urban students has been shown to reduce symptoms, activity limitations, and health care utilization for intervention participants. The purpose of this Act is to authorize the department of education to offer optional asthma self-management instruction to students and to require teachers and other department employees to obtain asthma training. SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II, subpart C, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows: "§302A- Asthma self-management instruction. (a) The department may offer optional asthma self-management instruction to students with asthma. The instruction shall be age-appropriate and the topics shall include: (1) Asthma facts, physiology, and early warning signs; (2) Symptoms and triggers of asthma; and (3) Asthma self-management skills. (b) The department may coordinate with any public or private entity to provide the instruction required under this section. (c) The department may use existing educational and training resources available in the public and private sectors when developing the instruction required under this section." SECTION 3. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part III, subpart B, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows: "§302A- Asthma training. (a) The department shall develop and provide required asthma training to teachers and other department employees who interact with students. The training required under this section shall include recognizing the symptoms of asthma and asthma management. (b) The department shall allow parents and guardians of students and any other department employee to attend the training at no cost. (c) The department shall set the standards and frequency for the training and may coordinate as necessary with any public or private entity to provide the training required under this section. (d) The department may use existing educational and training resources available in the public and private sectors when developing the training required under this section." SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored. SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050. |
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