02/17/2004 03:10 PM House HES

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
               HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL                                                                             
                  SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                                 
                       February 17, 2004                                                                                        
                           3:10 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Peggy Wilson, Chair                                                                                              
Representative Carl Gatto, Vice Chair                                                                                           
Representative Paul Seaton                                                                                                      
Representative Kelly Wolf                                                                                                       
Representative Sharon Cissna                                                                                                    
Representative Mary Kapsner                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative John Coghill                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW OF  DIVISION OF FAMILY  AND YOUTH SERVICES TO  OFFICE OF                                                               
CHILDREN'S SERVICES BY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW  ON   PUBLIC  HEALTH  BUDGET   CUTS  BY   ALASKA  NURSES                                                               
ASSOCIATION AND NANCY DAVIS, DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH                                                                          
                                                                                                                              
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
04-10, SIDE(S) A & B                                                                                                            
04-11, SIDE(S) A                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PEGGY WILSON  convened the  meeting of  the House  Health,                                                             
Education  and Social  Services Standing  Committee at  3:10 p.m.                                                               
Representatives Wilson,  Gatto, Seaton, and Wolf  were present at                                                               
the call to  order.  Representatives Cissna,  and Kapsner arrived                                                               
as the meeting was in progress.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
JOEL GILBERTSON,  Commissioner, Department  of Health  and Social                                                               
Services,  reviewed the  responsibilities of  the department  and                                                               
provided  the committee  with an  overview  of the  restructuring                                                               
efforts.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MARCIE   KENNAI,  Deputy   Commissioner,  Office   of  Children's                                                             
Services, Department of Health and  Social Services, provided the                                                             
committee  with an  overview of  division  restructuring and  new                                                             
programs  that are  being implemented.   She  also described  the                                                             
Division of Family  and Youth Services' (DFYS's)  mission and how                                                             
well the division has been able  to remain in compliance with its                                                             
own policies  and objectives.   Ms. Kennai explained some  of the                                                             
difficulties that  are found in  providing child  welfare related                                                             
services  within  the  State  of Alaska,  citing  that  the  main                                                             
factors  were geography  and the  isolation of  some of  Alaska's                                                             
more distant communities.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                              
MS.  KENNAI  stressed,  however,   that  despite  the  geographic                                                             
challenges Alaska's  problems are  not unique, although  they may                                                             
be  more extreme.    She  said DYFS  is  working  to improve  its                                                             
response  time   for  investigations   of  child   abuse  claims.                                                             
Although  many of  DYFS's restructuring  actions  are focused  on                                                             
this  goal,  it   is  still  not  meeting  the   goal  of  timely                                                             
investigations to the degree the division desires.                                                                              
                                                                                                                              
NANCY DAVIS,  Chief, Nursing Section, Division  of Public Health,                                                             
Department of Health and Social  Services, described the work and                                                             
services provided  by public health  nurses, especially  the role                                                             
public nurses play in disease  prevention.  She also detailed the                                                             
difficulties that  public health  nurses are encountering  due to                                                             
recent  and proposed  budget cuts.   Ms.  Davis stated  that [the                                                             
Division  of Public  Health] will  work  as hard  as possible  to                                                             
provide  its primary  service of  disease prevention  as well  as                                                             
other necessary health services.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                              
All speakers  supported the  public health  nurses and  sought to                                                             
encourage  the   Alaska  State  Legislature  in   continuing  and                                                             
increasing the funding for the  public health nurses, given their                                                             
integral and important social and  medical role.  There was great                                                             
concern amongst many  speakers that the social  and medical costs                                                             
due to  the loss of  prevention would  be greater than  the money                                                             
saved by reducing the cost of this organization.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no announcements.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no  further business before the  committee, the House                                                               
Health, Education and Social  Services Standing Committee meeting                                                               
was adjourned at 5:04 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-Third                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature  this  information may  be obtained  by                                                               
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.