State's Labor Department working to increase Hawai'i's primary care workforce 20% by 2020.
Hawai'i lacks the number of skilled professionals needed to meet current and future healthcare demands. In order to meet the growing needs of Hawai'i's residents, the Workforce Development Council, a state agency attached to the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, is looking to expand the primary care workforce 20% by the year 2020. Using funds from a Healthcare Workforce Planning grant, the state formed several Healthcare Industry Skill Panels, a workforce development best practice from the State of Washington, to address the gap in healthcare services and healthcare workforce opportunities for Hawai'i residents. Over 150 stakeholders--from employers, education, the public workforce system, economic development and labor--contributed their time and expertise to identify current workforce issues and develop action-oriented strategies to close industry skill gaps. So far these Skill Panels have developed a Critical Care Nursing Course Curriculum, a Workforce Readiness Curriculum and Certification pilot project, and a group to address specific barriers that are impeding Certified Nurse Aides (CNA). Upcoming initiatives include the distribution of a comprehensive statewide healthcare workforce development plan entitled Hawai'i's Healthcare Workforce 20/20 Plan & Report: Addendum to the Comprehensive State Plan for Workforce Development 2009-2014, and the creation of HawaiiHealthCareers.org, a website to both recruit and support individuals interested in pursuing careers in the healthcare industry.
Workforce Development Council, Department of Labor & Industrial Relations, Honolulu, HI, USA.
Jillian B
JB
Yasutake
Ruth R
RR
Caldwell
Anna S
AS
Powell
D026683:Advisory Committees; D006077:Government Agencies; D006254:Hawaii; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011320:Primary Health Care; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships; D000078329:Workforce