REQUESTING THE HAWAIʻI HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION'S EAST HAWAIʻI REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM TO CONDUCT A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON ESTABLISHING A RURAL HEALTH CLINIC OR COMPARABLE RURAL HEALTH ACCESS POINT TO SERVE THE VOLCANO COMMUNITY.

SR18

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

18

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

requesting the hawai
ʻ
i
health Systems Corporation's East Hawai
ʻ
i
Regional health care system to conduct a feasibility study on establishing a
Rural Health Clinic or comparable rural health access point to serve the
volcano community
.

����
WHEREAS, the
Hawai
ʻ
i Health
Systems Corporation's East Hawai
ʻ
i
Regional Health Care System (HHSC East Hawai
ʻ
i
Region) operates the Hilo Medical Center Ka
ʻ
ū Hospital, Rural Health
Clinic, Hale Ho
ʻ
ola Hamakua, and a network of East
Hawai
ʻ
i Health Clinics that together
provide essential medical services to communities across East Hawai
ʻ
i
; and

����
WHEREAS, the
long-standing designation of the Ka
ʻ
ū Hospital as a Critical Access
Hospital and the establishment of its Medicare-certified Rural Health Clinic
have enabled the HHSC East Hawai
ʻ
i Region to expand primary-care
access to rural communities while strengthening the region's financial
stability and provider recruitment capacity
; and

����
WHEREAS, the
community of Volcano, located between the districts of Puna and Ka
ʻ
ū, remains one of the largest
rural population centers on Hawai
ʻ
i Island that is without direct
access to primary‑care services, emergency stabilization capacity, or a
locally‑based medical provider
; and

����
WHEREAS, the
community of Volcano's geographic isolation, distance from Hilo and Ka
ʻ
ū hospitals, increased wildfire
risks, volcanic-related hazards, and limited transportation options create
chronic barriers to timely health care access for residents
; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Volcano Community Association (VCA) recently completed a Medical and Health
Care Services Needs Assessment, which identified the development of a clinic
offering primary and other health care services as a long-term need for the
area due to its aging population, rural character, and anticipated population
growth; and

����
WHEREAS, the
VCA's Medical and Health Care Services Needs Assessment further identified the
recruitment of a part-time primary care provider who could establish medical
services in the Volcano community at least two days per week as a short-term
goal; and

����
WHEREAS, the
VCA has expressed strong willingness to partner with the HHSC East Hawai
ʻ
i Region to identify
potential clinic sites, coordinate community outreach, support provider
recruitment, and assist with long-term planning efforts; and

����
WHEREAS, the
purpose of the Volcano Health Collaborative is to improve the health status of
residents of the community of Volcano and its neighboring communities by
increasing the accessibility of quality, affordable medical and associated
health care; and

����
WHEREAS, Volcano
Village and Hawai
ʻ
i
Volcanoes National Park receive millions of visitors annually, dramatically
increasing the volume of people passing through the area and creating a
heightened need for accessible medical services to respond to visitor injuries,
respiratory distress, and other urgent needs arising from outdoor and
volcanic-environment exposure; and

����
WHEREAS, emergency
medical services for the Volcano area are currently located within Hawai
ʻ
i Volcanoes National
Park and operated out of K
īlauea
Military Camp, serving both residents and the substantial visitor population, further
underscoring the need for a dedicated community-based health care access point
in the Volcano community
; and

����
WHEREAS, establishing
a Rural Health Clinic in the Volcano community, whether permanent, mobile, or
hybrid, would strengthen the overall East Hawai
ʻ
i
rural health network, support the Ka
ʻ
ū Hospital in its role as a
Critical Access Hospital serving remote communities, and improve health
outcomes for both residents and visitors
; now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, that the Hawai
ʻ
i
Health Systems Corporation's East Hawai
ʻ
i
Regional Health Care System (HHSC East Hawai
ʻ
i
Region) is requested to conduct a feasibility study on establishing a Rural
Health Clinic or comparable rural health access point to serve the Volcano
community; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the HHSC East Hawai
ʻ
i
Region is requested to examine the following in its feasibility study:

����
(1)
�
Potential sites within Volcano Village or adjacent
areas for a clinic or satellite office;

����
(2)
�
Operational models, including part-time
provider service, mobile-clinic deployment, telehealth integration, or
co-location with existing community facilities;

����
(3)
�
Staffing requirements, including short-term
options for providing primary-care services at least two days per week;

����
(4)
�
Start-up and ongoing costs, including
eligibility for rural health clinic reimbursement and other federal
rural-access funding;

����
(5)
�
Opportunities for partnership with the Volcano
Community Association, Hawai
ʻ
i
Volcanoes National Park, local nonprofits, organizations, and educational or
medical-training institutions; and

����
(6)
�
Potential benefits to emergency response,
chronic disease management, and visitor-safety services; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the HHSC East Hawai
ʻ
i
Region is requested to submit the completed feasibility study; its findings and
recommendations, including any propose legislation; and an implementation
timeline to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of
the Regular Session of 2027; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President
and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawai
ʻ
i
Health Systems Corporation, Chief Executive Officer of the Hawai
ʻ
i Health Systems
Corporation's East Hawai
ʻ
i
Regional Health Care System, Superintendent of Hawai
ʻ
i Volcanoes National Park, President of Volcano
Community Association, President of the Volcano Community Association, and President
of the Volcano Health Collaborative.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

Volcano;
HHSC East Hawaii; Rural Health Clinic; Feasibility Study