HB1351

SECTION 1. Hawaii’s nurses are the primary providers of hospital patient care and deliver much of the State’s long term and community–based care. An investment in nursing is an investment in the health and well-being of the State.

Health statistics indicate that older adults consume the majority of health care services comprising 57-63% of the physician visits, 50% of hospital expenditures, 80% of home health care visits, and 90% of long term care. Ironically, many of the aging baby boomers are nurses, and it is projected that by 2020, 61% of Hawaii’s nursing workforce will have retired.

To ensure that the nursing shortage and gaps in health care are addressed, this bill proposes to establish a Geriatric Nursing Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene. The Institute will offer courses at the undergraduate and graduate level as well as clinical internships in geriatric nursing. It will also partner with national academies in this field.

To further address the nursing shortage and gaps in health care availability, this bill establishes a University of Hawaii Statewide Nursing Consortium to implement and evaluate a program to support educational mobility between the community colleges and four-year degree university programs.

A third method for addressing the nursing shortage is provided by increasing the undergraduate faculty and academic support capacity at the University of Hawaii Manoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene to increase the number of nursing graduates.

SECTION 2. Section 304A-1402 is amended by adding subsections (a), (b), and (c) to read as follows:

(a) The School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene is authorized to establish a Geriatric Nursing Institute and include within its curriculum instructional programs in the field of geriatric practice nurses (APN). The Institute is authorized to undertake the following activities:

(1) Strengthen nursing curriculum to focus on primary populations served such as Hawaii's older adults, through revision of curriculum in the Bachelor of Science undergraduate program; enhance the Geriatric Nurse Practitioner track in the Master's and Post-Master's program; develop an undergraduate focus (capstone) course in geriatrics; and provide clinical internships that focus on older adults.

(2) Recruit faculty specializing in geriatric nursing and gerontology including a gerontology nursing professor/chair for research and scholarly activity to create and disseminate new knowledge in regard to best practices in Hawaii.

(3) Assure faculty competency and retention through academic credentialing and certification, participation in national training academies, and create awards and mechanisms for recognition, and support for interdisciplinary translational research.

(4) Utilize current best practices in the care for older adults such as competencies and curricula guidelines for geriatric nursing care, models for curriculum and faculty training, use of national and local academic resources including the Center on Family and Center on Aging at the University of Hawaii Manoa Campus.

(5) Build partnerships with clinical and community experts to bridge the clinical faculty shortage by sharing expert practitioners and share physical resources and infrastructure.

(6) Recruit students willing to commit to serving Hawaii's older adults through career ladder programs, mentoring, clinical internships, student clinical placements, and tuition forgiveness for an incentive to practice in Hawaii's long-term, home care, or other health care setting in which majority of care is provided to older adults.

(b) Establish a University of Hawaii Statewide Nursing

Consortium responsible for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs designed to support educational nursing mobility throughout the university system, thus contributing to an increase in graduates at every level of nursing education. Consortium membership would include representatives from the University of Hawaii nursing programs at Manoa, Hilo, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and Kapiolani Community Colleges and shall be administratively housed at the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.

(c) Establish a nursing workforce development initiative within the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene to increase the number of graduates from both entry and graduate level programs using traditional and master's entry programs.

SECTION 3. Section 304A-1406 is amended to read as follows:

§304A-1406. Center for nursing; functions. The center for nursing shall:

(1) Collect and analyze data and prepare and disseminate written reports and recommendations regarding the current and future status and trends of the nursing workforce;

(2) Conduct research on best practices and quality outcomes;

(3) Develop a plan for implementing strategies to recruit and retain nurses; and

(4) Research, analyze, and report data related to the retention of the nursing workforce.

(5) Collect and analyze data in the field of gerontology to develop public policies, programs, and instructional opportunities targeted at improving health care delivery to Hawaii’s older adults.

(6) Gather and make recommendations on best practices for the establishment of a seamless, integrated nursing education program that promotes and enhances the educational mobility of those who enter the field of nursing.

SECTION 4. Section 304A-1407 is amended to read as follows:

304A-1407 Collaboration with the center for nursing. The University of Hawaii School of nursing and dental hygiene, the state board of nursing, the Geriatric Nursing Institute, the University of Hawaii Statewide Nursing Consortium, other schools of nursing within the state, professional nursing organizations, employers in the healthcare industry, and labor unions representing nurses and healthcare workers shall collaborate with and provide workforce data to the center for nursing when requested.

SECTION 5. For the purposes of carrying out section 304A-1402(a) Geriatric Nursing Institute there shall be appropriated $675,000 in general funds for Fiscal Year 2007-2008 and $675,000 in general funds for Fiscal Year 2008-2009.

For the purposes of carrying out section 304A-1402(b) Nursing Consortium there shall be appropriated $275,000 in general funds for Fiscal Year 2007-2008 and $275,000 in general funds for Fiscal Year 2008-2009.

For the purposes of carrying out section 304A-1402(c) nursing workforce there shall be appropriated $550,000 in general funds for Fiscal Year 2007-2008 to increase the number of nursing graduates by 25, and $550,000 in general funds for Fiscal Year 2008-2009 to maintain this level of graduates.

SECTION 6. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

BY REQUEST

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1351
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII