Bills expand medical training on the Neighbor Islands, incentivize physicians to stay in Hawaii
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The Maui News
A pair of bills aim to combat the state's increasing physician shortage, especially on Neighbor Islands, and help the University of Hawaii's medical school to keep more of its graduates practicing in Hawaii, UH announced Thursday.
Gov. David Ige signed Senate Bills 2657 and 2597 into law on Thursday at UH-Manoa's John A. Burns School of Medicine.
"My administration is committed to supporting the development and expansion of high-quality educational and training sites, especially on the Neighbor Islands where we face the greatest challenge," Ige said.
SB 2657 funds JABSOM's expansion of medical residency and medical student training opportunities on the Neighbor Islands, and with the U.S. Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Healthcare System sites across the state -- specifically in areas where health care is most needed.
Currently, some medical students complete preclinical rotations for up to three months on Lanai, Hawaii island and, starting this year, on Kauai. Third-year students participate in a longitudinal clerkship program where groups of students train in the same location for a five-month rotation in rural communities. They presently train at several locations on Maui, Hawaii island and Kauai.
The Hawaii Physician Workforce Assessment Project Report indicates that Hawaii is in need of at least 750 doctors, with the greatest statewide shortage in primary care specialties, according to a UH news release. The proportional need is greatest on the Neighbor Islands, with both Maui and Hawaii County experiencing a physician shortage of 40 percent.
"Data show that more than 80 percent of physicians who graduate from both JABSOM and its residency programs tend to stay in Hawaii to practice -- that is one of the highest retention rates in the country," said JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges."We know that physicians who train in rural areas on our Neighbor Islands are also more likely to put down roots and nurture the communities that they're in."
SB 2597, meanwhile, allows for more loans to be given in the Hawaii State Loan Repayment Program, which helps graduates of JABSOM and other health professions reduce their educational debt in exchange for remaining in Hawaii to practice.
According to JABSOM's Hawaii and Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center Director Kelley Withy, "83 percent of loan repayers have remained in Hawaii to practice, and 70 percent have remained at the site where they performed their service. Currently, there are 25 active providers in the program with another seven waiting for funding."
Health care professionals who have benefited from the loan repayment program serve on all islands and in the communities of Waimea, Kihei, Waianae, Hilo and Wailuku as well as at the Maui Community Correctional Center, according to the news release.