The House Committee on Human Services and Homelessness will hold an informational briefing on Friday, August 29 to inform and update the public about the status of transmission of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak within the homeless populations on Oʻahu and in other hot spots throughout the State.
Committee Chair Joy A. San Buenaventura will ask participants to explain the plan, initiatives, and processes being implemented by the Department of Health and other State agencies to quarantine and isolate individuals in order to contain the transmission of COVID-19. Participants will also be asked to identify the challenges and obstacles that need to be immediately addressed in order to ensure further containment of community transmission of COVID-19 and identify next steps in the process.
Invited participants include the following:
- Scott S. Morishige, MSW, Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness
- Deputy Director Edward Mersereau, LCSW, CSAC, Behavioral Health Administration, Hawaiʻi Department of Health
- Dr. Victoria Fan, University of Hawaiʻi Associate Professor of Health Policy, University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa
- Dr. Amy Curtis, Division Chief, Adult Mental Health Division, Hawaiʻi Department of Health
Specifically, the committee would like to discuss the following topics:
(1) Growing spread among vulnerable populations and within community-based programs and efforts to respond;
(2) Isolation and Quarantine capacity efforts;
(3) Issues related to the OCCC cluster and orders for release;
(4) Data and Modeling efforts;
(5) Projected mental health and homelessness impacts resulting from COVID impacts; and
(6) Plans and proposed solutions to mitigate impacts to the system and resources needed to implement them.
To comply with restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the briefing will be held remotely via public television and streaming online. No public testimony will be accepted.
The briefing will be televised live on ‘Olelo channel 49 and will be aired live on the neighbor islands. The briefing can also be watched live online at https://olelo.org/ or on the House webcast page http://olelo.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=31.