02/19/2002 04:00 PM House HES

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
          HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES                                                                         
                       STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                                     
                       February 19, 2002                                                                                        
                           4:00 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW:  ALASKANS FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS                                                                                       
OVERVIEW:  ALASKA NATIVE HEALTH BOARD                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
02-13, SIDES A & B                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FRED DYSON,  Chair,  convened  the House  Health,                                                               
Education and Social Services Standing  Committee meeting at 4:00                                                               
p.m.  [Minutes for  SCR 21 can be found in  the 3:12 p.m. minutes                                                               
for the same date.]                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Committee  members present  were  Representatives Dyson,  Wilson,                                                               
Coghill, Stevens, Cissna, and Joule.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHRISTIE McINTYRE, American Lung  Association of Alaska, provided                                                               
a  brief  description  of  the  negative  impact  of  smoking  on                                                               
Alaskans.    Her  account  of   this  "pediatric  epidemic"  also                                                               
included a  request for continued  funding and outlined  an anti-                                                               
smoking  plan that  can be  started with  the minimum  acceptable                                                               
appropriation [as decided by the Surgeon General].                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CYNTHIA  NAVARRETTE, Alaska  Native Health  Board, advocated  for                                                               
Native  health   issues.    She  discussed   the  health  board's                                                               
legislative  initiatives  and   priorities:  suicide  prevention,                                                               
rural sanitation,  rural runway  lighting, long-term  elder care,                                                               
behavioral health programs, Medicaid, and Denali KidCare.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
ANDY  JIMMIE rose  to  thank the  legislature  for progress  made                                                               
toward solving his community's sewer and water problems.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
FRITZ  GEORGE,  Yukon-Kuskokwim   Health  Corporation,  specified                                                               
substance abuse and behavioral health as key priorities.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
DONNA  GRAFFIUS,  Alaska  Native Health  Board,  emphasized  that                                                               
rural runway lights are crucial to Alaskan villages.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
DON  KASHEVEROFF,  Alaska  Native  Tribal Health,  spoke  to  the                                                               
importance of suicide prevention in the field of Native health.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no announcements.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  DYSON adjourned  the House  Health,  Education and  Social                                                               
Services Standing Committee meeting at 5:05 p.m.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting was  recorded and handwritten log  notes were                                                               
taken.  A  copy of the tape(s)  and log notes may  be obtained by                                                               
contacting the  House Records  Office at  State Capitol,  Room 3,                                                               
Juneau,  Alaska   99801 (mailing  address),  (907) 465-2214,  and                                                               
after  adjournment of  the second  session  of the  Twenty-Second                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature  this  information may  be obtained  by                                                               
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.