HI SR178

Requests the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Department of Education to develop a coordinated plan to reduce the impact of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in Hawaii, with a report due to the Legislature by December 15, 2026

Approximately 840 babies are born in Hawaii each year with FASD, costing the state an estimated $876,000,000 annually in healthcare, special education, residential care, lost productivity, and corrections

The coordinated plan should assess the feasibility of establishing a Statewide FASD Coordinator and develop strategies for accessing $12,000,000 in federal funding available under the FASD Support Act (P.L. 119-44)

The plan must include strategies for public awareness campaigns, training healthcare professionals and educators in FASD screening and diagnosis, and reducing reliance on foster care and the criminal justice system

National data cited indicates alcohol exposure occurs in one in seven pregnancies and approximately one in twenty people suffer from FASD