Urging The Department Of Education, Department Of Health, And Other Relevant Stakeholders To Collaborate And Develop A Strategic Plan To Prepare For Hawaii's Pursuit Of Funding For And Participation In The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention's Public Health Surveillance For Estimating Autism Prevalence.
H.R. 139 calls for a coordinated effort among state agencies and health care providers to establish an infrastructure that can support comprehensive data collection and analysis combined with community health initiatives. This endeavor is intended to ultimately enhance services and interventions for families affected by autism. It seeks to ensure that appropriate resources are allocated and necessary training is provided to tackle the growing prevalence of autism effectively and to attract future funding opportunities for further research.
House Resolution 139 urges the State of Hawaii's Department of Education and Department of Health to collaboratively develop a strategic plan aimed at pursuing funding for, and participation in, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) public health surveillance system designed for estimating autism prevalence. The resolution highlights the significant increase in autism rates in the U.S. and emphasizes the need for Hawaii to gather accurate data pertaining to autism in its local communities, particularly among Pacific Islanders and Asian populations, who demonstrate higher prevalence rates of autism compared to national averages.
As Hawaii has not been part of the national surveillance through the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, this resolution is critical to initiating comprehensive data monitoring and establishing the state as a participant in national autism research efforts. Notably, the bill recognizes workforce shortages in critical supporting professions such as special education and pediatric care, stressing the importance of investment in factors that support children with autism and their families. This resolution could play a pivotal role in addressing disparities in autism identification and service access in the state, potentially fostering national attention and additional funding.