04/25/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

                HB 191-MEDICAL MAJOR EMERGENCIES                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:18:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 191, "An Act  relating to medical care  for major                                                               
emergencies."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:19:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATY GIORGIO, Staff, Representative  Genevieve Mina, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,  on behalf  of Representative  Mina, prime  sponsor,                                                               
presented HB 191.  She gave  a brief re-introduction of HB 191 to                                                               
the committee and  asked Chair Prax for his will  on the proposed                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:19:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX opened public testimony on HB 191.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:20:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PAM   VENTGEN,   Executive   Director,   Alaska   State   Medical                                                               
Association, testified  in support  of HB  191.   She said  it is                                                               
important  that  the Department  of  Health  (DOH) tracks  deaths                                                               
caused by  strokes and heart attacks  in the same way  that other                                                               
trauma deaths are tracked.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:21:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHELSEA HUNT, representing self, testified  in support of HB 191.                                                               
She shared her experience as  a stroke survivor and explained how                                                               
the swift care she received  during her stroke event likely saved                                                               
her life.  She urged the committee's support of HB 191.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:23:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LUCY HE, MD,  as a neurosurgeon, testified in support  of HB 191.                                                               
She explained that the Center  for Disease Control and Prevention                                                               
(CDC)  and  the American  Heart  Association  (AHA) has  put  out                                                               
official guidelines for stroke care.   She said that Alaska faces                                                               
a  geographic challenge  in its  ability  to get  proper care  to                                                               
stroke victims  and listed  a variety  of statistics  and figures                                                               
related to  stroke care  in Alaska.   She  explained that  HB 191                                                               
would play  a critical  role in easing  the logistical  stress of                                                               
delivering stroke care to victims.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:27:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX shared  his understanding  that there  were only  two                                                               
stroke care facilities in Alaska as of 2024.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DR.  HE  responded that  Alaska  and  Montana  are the  only  two                                                               
remaining  states that  do  not  recognize a  stroke  as a  time-                                                               
sensitive emergency  and explained that each  hospital stores its                                                               
own data individually, not as one cohesive entity.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:29:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAMIE MORGAN, Government Relations  Regional Lead, American Heart                                                               
Association, testified in  support of HB 191.  She  said that the                                                               
focused organization of data related  to strokes and heart health                                                               
events would  be paramount in  ensuring proper care  is delivered                                                               
to a victim in a timely manner.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:31:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX, after  ascertaining there was no one  else who wished                                                               
to testify, closed public testimony on HB 191.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:31:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS asked Eugene  Wiseman what national systems                                                               
of health measurement would be utilized  if HB 191 were to become                                                               
law.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
EUGENE "GENE"  WISEMAN, Chief, Section of  Rural Community Health                                                               
Systems,  Division  of  Public   Health,  Department  of  Health,                                                               
responded that DOH would form  an advisory committee to guide the                                                               
decisions regarding which system to utilize.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  asked Mr.  Wiseman to  elaborate on  Alaska's current                                                               
healthcare network.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. WISEMAN explained that Alaska  currently has a few level four                                                               
trauma centers  and explained  how DOH  designates the  levels of                                                               
trauma care a facility might be able to provide.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked  whether there are trauma  facilities outside of                                                               
Fairbanks and Anchorage.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR. WISEMAN  answered that there  are some facilities  outside of                                                               
Fairbanks  and Anchorage  and explained  that the  level of  care                                                               
that  may   be  provided  varies  greatly   among  the  different                                                               
facilities throughout the state.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:35:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked Dr. He  for an outline of the traumatic                                                               
healthcare facilities in  Alaska and a vision of  where the state                                                               
is going with regard to the future of those facilities.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
DR. HE answered  that there are 13 critical  access hospitals and                                                               
2 military  hospitals in Alaska.   She emphasized that  DOH needs                                                               
to   move  to   improve   healthcare   equipment  and   screening                                                               
capabilities throughout the state.   She explained the process of                                                               
trauma intervention and its time-sensitive nature.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked how many  communities in Alaska are greater than                                                               
a two-hour plane ride from a high-level trauma center.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
DR. HE  replied that  the majority of  communities in  Alaska are                                                               
more than a two-hour flight away  from a high level trauma center                                                               
and  cited  both  Guardian and  LifeFlight's  statistics  on  the                                                               
matter.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:41:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA  thanked the committee and  public testifiers                                                               
for their words on the proposed legislation.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:42:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER asked whether  Chair Prax had any intention                                                               
to move the bill out of the committee.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:43:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX, having  determined there  were no  amendments, asked                                                               
for the will of the committee.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:43:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE moved to report  HB 191 out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER clarified  that he had no  objection to the                                                               
motion before the committee.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  removed  his  objection.   There  being  no  further                                                               
objection, HB 191  was reported from the House  Health and Social                                                               
Services Standing Committee.