Nate Fontanilla-Lutu
Outside of Oahu Care Facility
The number of statewide openings for non-physician health care workers has doubled over the past six years, according to Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi statistics.
HAH reported 2,200 openings for non-physician patient-facing roles in 2019, but this number has now risen to 4,700. Proposed legislation aims to help expand the amount of available workers to address the issue.
House Bill 714 would allocate funds to support training programs. These include certification programs offered by public high schools and educational programs designed to help certified nurse assistants, or CNAs [Certified Nursing Assistant], become registered nurses.
The bill would continue and expand state funding for two years, Hilton Raethel, the president and CEO of the HAH, said during a hearing on March 19.
In the last year, the HAH has trained hundreds of high school students across 14 campuses with a 98% completion rate and 75% employment rate.
The need for entry-level positions such as CNA’s continues to grow. Raethel said HAH supported 34 CNAs in the Glide Path program, which launched in 2023. This year more than 50 students are enrolled in the program.
“The program supported by this measure are having a material impact on addressing our workforce pipeline,” Raethel said.
Nate Fontanilla-Lutu, a CNA at Oahu Care Facility, said the program fast-tracked his career.
“I went to a CNA program for two-and-a-half weeks and currently work at a nursing home,” said Fontanilla-Lutu in an interview. “When I become a registered nurse, I plan to work in either the ER or the pediatrics department.”
Fontanilla-Lutu said employers need to find a sufficient way to keep employees or recruit.
“I personally get irritated when they keep asking me to double because of shortages,” Fontanilla-Lutu said.
This legislation is a strong move toward expanding the healthcare workforce, Raethel said.
“Healthcare employers have heavily invested in these programs, providing instructors hands-on training and financial stipends,” said Raethel. “With your support we’ll be able to continue these programs.”