Legislature(2023 - 2024)DAVIS 106
04/25/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s):|| Board of Psychiatrists and Psychological Examiners | |
| HB191 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 191 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
April 25, 2024
3:08 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Mike Prax, Chair
Representative Justin Ruffridge, Vice Chair
Representative CJ McCormick
Representative Jesse Sumner
Representative Zack Fields
Representative Genevieve Mina
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Dan Saddler
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Board of Psychiatrists and Psychological Examiners
Erin Johnson, PhD - Anchorage
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
HOUSE BILL NO. 191
"An Act relating to medical care for major emergencies."
- MOVED HB 191 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 191
SHORT TITLE: MEDICAL MAJOR EMERGENCIES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) MINA
05/03/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
05/03/23 (H) HSS, FIN
04/02/24 (H) HSS AT 3:00 PM DAVIS 106
04/02/24 (H) Heard & Held
04/02/24 (H) MINUTE(HSS)
04/25/24 (H) HSS AT 3:00 PM DAVIS 106
WITNESS REGISTER
ERIN JOHNSON, PhD, Appointee
Board of Psychiatrists and Psychological Examiners
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Board of
Psychiatrists and Psychological Examiners.
KATY GIORGIO, Staff
Representative Genevieve Mina
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 191 on behalf of
Representative Mina, prime sponsor.
PAM VENTGEN, Executive Director
Alaska State Medical Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 191.
CHELSEA HUNT, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 191.
LUCY HE, MD
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 191.
JAMIE MORGAN, Government Relations Regional Lead
American Heart Association
Sacramento, California
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 191.
EUGENE "GENE" WISEMAN, Chief
Section of Rural and Community Health Systems
Division of Public Health
Department of Health
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered committee questions related to HB
191.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:08:56 PM
CHAIR PRAX called the House Health and Social Services Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:08 p.m. Representatives
Ruffridge, McCormick, Sumner, Fields, Mina, and Prax were
present at the call to order.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
^Board of Psychiatrists and Psychological Examiners
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Board of Psychiatrists and Psychological Examiners
3:10:46 PM
CHAIR PRAX announced that the first order of business would be a
confirmation hearing on the governor's appointee to the Board of
Psychiatrists and Psychological Examiners.
3:11:10 PM
ERIN JOHNSON, PhD, Appointee to the Board of Psychiatrists and
Psychological Examiners, Clinical Psychologist, provided her
background as a clinical psychologist in mental health treatment
and her history on the Board of Psychiatrists and Psychological
Examiners (BPPE) and discussed why she sought a reappointment to
the BPPE.
3:12:10 PM
CHAIR PRAX asked Dr. Johnson if she had any specific issues or
thoughts about the BPPE during her tenure on the board.
DR. JOHNSON replied that the BPPE has taken up certain issues
like an interjurisdictional compact between psychologists in
Alaska and said that a redevelopment of regulations surrounding
the certification of mental health professionals in Alaska is
another thing the BPPE has taken up during her tenure on the
Board.
3:15:34 PM
CHAIR PRAX opened public testimony on the appointment of Dr.
Erin Johnson to the Board of Psychiatrists and Psychological
Examiners. After ascertaining there was no one else who wished
to testify, he closed public testimony.
3:16:44 PM
CHAIR PRAX stated that the House Health and Social Services
Standing Committee has reviewed the qualifications of the
governor's appointee and recommends that the following name be
forwarded to a joint session for consideration: Dr. Erin
Johnson, Board of Psychiatrists and Psychological Examiners. He
said that signing the report regarding appointments to boards
and commissions in no way reflects an individual member's
approval or disapproval of the appointee, and the nomination is
merely forwarded to the full legislature for confirmation or
rejection.
3:17:27 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:17 p.m.
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.
3:45:02 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Erin Johnson Psychologist Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HHSS 4/25/2024 3:00:00 PM |
Governor's Appointee |
| Erin Johnson Psychologist App_Redacted.pdf |
HHSS 4/25/2024 3:00:00 PM |
Governor's Appointee |
| HB 191 AHHA Letter of Support.pdf |
HHSS 4/25/2024 3:00:00 PM |
HB 191 |
| HB 191 Simonetti Support.pdf |
HHSS 4/25/2024 3:00:00 PM |
HB 191 |
| HB 191 Alaska Stroke Coalition Support.pdf |
HHSS 4/25/2024 3:00:00 PM |
HB 191 |