HI SR18

Requests Hawaii Health Systems Corporation's East Hawaii Regional Health Care System to conduct a feasibility study on establishing a Rural Health Clinic or comparable health access point to serve the Volcano community.

The Volcano community lacks direct access to primary care services, emergency stabilization capacity, or a local medical provider despite being one of the largest rural population centers on Hawaii Island.

The feasibility study must examine potential clinic sites, operational models (including part-time provider service, mobile clinics, and telehealth), staffing requirements, start-up and ongoing costs, partnership opportunities, and benefits to emergency response and visitor safety.

The study findings, recommendations, proposed legislation, and implementation timeline must be submitted to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2027.

Volcano Village and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park receive millions of visitors annually, creating heightened need for accessible medical services to address visitor injuries, respiratory distress, and other urgent needs from volcanic-environment exposure.