HB1853 establishes the Hanai Memory Network Program within the Executive Office on Aging to improve dementia and cognitive impairment services in Hawaii. The bill is aimed at earlier detection, better care planning, and more coordinated support for individuals with dementia and their caregivers, especially in rural areas and on neighbor islands where access to services is limited. It authorizes the program to create dementia care specialist positions, establish one or more memory clinics, build a statewide referral network and care-options directory, provide training and technical assistance, operate a public-facing education and referral website, and collect program data.
The bill also creates a formal state framework for partnering with health care providers, health systems, and community-based organizations through contracts or memoranda of agreement. The Executive Office on Aging would administer and oversee the program and must submit an annual report to the Legislature describing screening and diagnosis numbers, care plans created, satisfaction data, and any proposed legislation. The measure appropriates $3,000,000 in general funds for fiscal year 2026-2027 to launch and implement the program, with an effective date of July 1, 2026.
Impact
HB1853 would amend chapter 349 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes by adding a new part establishing the Hanai Memory Network Program and assigning the Executive Office on Aging new duties related to dementia care coordination. It would create a new state-funded program structure, authorize data collection and reporting, and direct state resources toward community-based screening, referral, and support services. The bill also appropriates $3,000,000 from general revenues, making it a direct budgetary commitment to aging and long-term care infrastructure.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly supportive and noncontroversial. It advanced through the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Senate Ways and Means, and conference committees with unanimous votes in the recorded actions, suggesting broad agreement on the need for improved dementia care services. The bill’s findings frame the issue as an urgent public health and fiscal concern, and the legislative history indicates momentum toward implementation rather than debate over whether the program should exist.
Contention
No major opposition is reflected in the available committee votes or transcripts, but the bill’s underlying policy issues suggest potential areas of concern. The main practical questions are funding, implementation capacity, and whether the Executive Office on Aging and partner providers can build statewide coverage quickly enough to serve rural communities and neighbor islands. The bill also implies ongoing tension between the high cost of dementia care and the need for upfront public investment, though the recorded legislative actions do not show significant disagreement on those points.
Proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the establishment of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, establishing the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund to provide money for research on and prevention and treatment of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related disorders in this state, and transferring to that fund $3 billion from state general revenue.