THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2656
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to medical education and training.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that many Hawaii residents are unable to obtain timely and appropriate health care due to a shortage of health care providers in the State. The ongoing shortage threatens individual health and may pose adverse effects to the State's health care costs. The neighbor islands, which have been designated by the federal government as medically underserved areas, have been disproportionately adversely affected by shortages of physicians in all areas of practice. The John A. Burns school of medicine has engaged in strategies to increase the numbers of physicians in Hawaii, including, among other endeavors:

(1) Enrolling more students each year;

(2) Rotating medical students to the neighbor islands for preclinical rotations for up to twelve weeks;

(3) Developing longitudinal third-year rotation sites where a small number of students are in the same location for five months;

(4) Developing a small number of sites for four-week fourth-year clinical rotations;

(5) Developing residency or fellowship rotations on neighbor islands; and

(6) Administering the state's loan repayment program that places recipients in underserved communities, especially the neighbor islands.

Current physician workforce data indicate that Hawaii has a shortage of about seven hundred fifty doctors when compared to the general United States physician-patient ratios of a similar demographic population. Primary care, internal medicine, and some specialty physician shortages represent Hawaii's greatest area of need. Without these physicians, the people of Hawaii do not have access to the health care they need.

Currently, there is strong collaboration between the John A. Burns school of medicine and the Veterans Administration. The Veterans Administration health system currently invests in Hawaii-based residency positions using a separate federal pool of resources for support. With additional faculty members, the capacity to train additional Hawaii-based residents through the Veterans Administration program will enable the John A. Burns school of medicine to expand the number of residency rotations and create new training opportunities.

In Hawaii, graduate medical costs are largely borne by the University of Hawaii and its affiliated health systems. Although some federal funding has been used by the health systems to cover a portion of the costs, there are areas where the State can invest and expand medical education training using the newly available American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The legislature further finds that beneficial public outcomes may be achieved by expanding capacity for training medical students and residents through the Veterans Administration, including the recruitment of additional practicing faculty to Hawaii's Veterans Administration facilities, leveraged care delivery capacity, and the retention of Hawaii students as practitioners in the State.

Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to create further medical residency and training opportunities through a partnership between the John A. Burns school of medicine and the Veterans Administration.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $6,700,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2022-2023 for the expansion of medical residency and training opportunities in partnership with the Veterans Administration.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns school of medicine for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2022.

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

Veterans Administration; John A. Burns School of Medicine; University of Hawaii; Medical Residencies and Training; Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates funds to support additional opportunities for medical residencies and training programs in a partnership between the John A. Burns School of Medicine and the Veterans Administration.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.