HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

38

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO FULLY FUND ALL OF ITS NURSING PROGRAMS.

 

WHEREAS, there is currently a severe shortage of nurses here in Hawaii and across the nation, which jeopardizes the quality of health care provided in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, clinics and other health care settings; and

WHEREAS, the number of graduates from nurse education institutions here in Hawaii is insufficient to meet the demand for qualified nurses; and

WHEREAS, "traveling nurses" are being recruited from outside Hawaii to meet this demand; however, the cost of hiring these nurses exceeds the cost of hiring nurses who reside in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the nursing shortage will be exacerbated by the increasing number of aging "baby boomers" who need their services and aging nurses who may soon retire from the profession; and

WHEREAS, a solution to the nurse shortage is for Hawaii's nurse education institutions to prepare a sufficient number of nursing graduates to satisfy the increasing demand for nurses; and

WHEREAS, a number of qualified applicants to the University of Hawaii's nursing programs are turned away because of funding limitations that restrict the number of faculty hired, which in turn limits the number of students who can be enrolled in the programs; and

WHEREAS, in the fall of 2003, two hundred and forty-three qualified applicants were turned away from the University of Hawaii's nursing programs at the Manoa, Hilo, and community college campuses; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii's nursing programs have a plan to increase student capacity, but enough funding must be allocated to implement the plan; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that the University of Hawaii is urged to fully fund all of its nursing programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Regents of the University of Hawaii, the President of the University of Hawaii, the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, the Chancellor of Kapiolani Community College, the Chancellor of Kauai Community College, the Chancellor of Maui Community College, and the Dean of the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Nursing Programs; Funding