Care facilities, district improvements, Senate hearing

The Legislature is meeting daily, with the senate and house committees meeting primarily on the budget. The senate also has before it quite a number of the governor’s nominations for boards and commissions.  The Senate COVID19 Special Committee has also continued to meet, and is currently focusing on more stringent public health safeguards so that deplaning passengers –visitors and residents—are checked for their health status, including thermal screens, and are ordered to adhere to the Governor’s 14-day self-isolation quarantine. Today I share with you other work going on that may interest you:

COVID SAFE LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES.
A couple of you asked about the safety of our most vulnerable kupuna in long term care facilities. I checked in on Dr. Keith Ridley, Chief of the Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA), who shared the following:

During the past few weeks, OHCA contacted about 90% of Hawaii’s skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), with unannounced onsite or phone call inspections focusing on infection control. They found all of them to be in compliance with the official federal guidelines (of the CMS and the CDC). OHCA intends to contact the remaining 10% over the next several days.  Additionally, inspections of all state-licensed or certified health care facilities are continuing, including adult day care centers, as they become due for licensing or certification. Another division of the department of health, the Disease Outbreak Control Division (DOCD), will also be calling to educate these facilities on COVID guidelines over the next few weeks.

IMPROVEMENTS FOR SCHOOLS
The Ways and Means Committee today (Wednesday) heard an essential capital improvement projects (CIP) bill (HB2725 HD1 SD1) containing funding for new key projects in our district.  While not yet final– as the bill still needs the full vote of the legislature– support by both house and senate budget committees signifies general agreement. But stay tuned for the final vote next week. Some items of interest to our district are:

• Ala Wai Elementary:  $1,000,000 for covered playcourt (phase 2); $1,500,000 for school-wide electrical upgrades

• Jefferson Elementary:  $350,000 for dedicated electrical outlets of its aquaponics systems; $250,000 for electrical upgrades to Building R classrooms
• Kaahumanu Elementary:  $300,000 for cafeteria ceiling fans
• Lunalilo Elementary:  $277,000 for renovation of 1st floor B Building restrooms
• Washington Middle:  $250,000 for a coordinated performing arts studio
• Kaimuki High:  $400,000 for student center and cafeteria plans

IMPROVEMENTS FOR WAIKIKI
Another CIP item is the restoration of Waikiki Beach.  In one of my previous messages I mentioned that CIP funding was released for restoring/replacing the groin near the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the work recently began.  Additional needs for the area is in the CIP budget for Fiscal Year 2021, which provides $1,850,000 for improvements related to the Waikiki Master Plan, including improvements along Waikiki Beach in the Sheraton-Halekulani, Royal Hawaiian, and Kuhio Beach sectors, sand restoration, refurbishment of derelict groins, and construction of new groins, with offshore sand dredging and beach sand placement.

SENATE WAYS & MEANS INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING
The committee asked the administration to provide more specific details on its proposed use of the federal appropriation to the state under the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief & Economic Security (CARES) Act.  The briefing will begin at 9:15 am tomorrow (Thursday). Presenting are representatives of the Office of the Governor, the Economic Navigator, Budget & Finance, Defense, Health, and Labor & Industrial Relations. See the agenda here.