Report Title:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that to meet the growing need for nurses on the island of Oahu, it is essential to expand the state’s capacity for developing and providing qualified nurses through an expansion of nursing programs.

Currently, Kapiolani community college possesses an excellent nursing program for preparing registered nurses (RN). This program provides a flexible, accelerated curriculum that is less costly than its baccalaureate counterpart.

However, the existing capacity of the University of Hawaii system nursing program remains below the projected need for qualified nurses on the island of Oahu. The university's capacity is also concentrated in southeast Oahu, leaving the leeward side of the island severely underserved.

The leeward community, however, is expanding at an astounding rate, and with this population boom comes an abundance of talented and skilled workers who are in need of a challenging, high quality, and affordable nursing program that offers solid employment opportunities upon successful completion of training. The leeward community is also experiencing an increase in hospitals, clinics, and health centers, and has the largest concentration of residential care home facilities on Oahu. A nursing program within the leeward community would assist in stimulating and raising the economic status of not just individual students, but of the entire community by providing a focal point for educational opportunity and employment in this developing community.

In 2004, the department of education’s senior exit survey revealed that forty-four per cent of the graduating high school seniors who were interested in pursuing a career in nursing or dental hygiene were located in the leeward region of Oahu. To acquire such a degree, these students currently must travel or relocate to southeast Oahu. It is time to tap this resource by providing a rapid response to the need for quality training, while at the same time establishing a viable means of addressing our current nursing shortage.

A nursing program for the leeward community could be established through a partnership between Leeward community college and Kapiolani community college. Kapiolani community college's associate degree in nursing program could be expanded to the leeward side by using the Leeward community college campus, which is optimally located. The Leeward community college nursing program would initially employ Kapiolani community college’s curriculum to provide a rapid response to community needs. However, the long-term objective would be for Leeward community college to develop a more community-based program.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to support collaboration and coordination between Kapiolani community college and Leeward community college to establish a quality registered nursing program located at Pearl City's Leeward community college campus on Oahu.

SECTION 2. The board of regents of the University of Hawaii shall, with the assistance of Kapiolani community college nursing program and through coordination and collaboration between the program and Leeward community college, establish:

(1) An associate degree in nursing program at the Leeward community college campus similar to the Kapiolani community college nursing program; and

(2) A registered nursing training program and prerequisite course-offering for the registered nursing program.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,300,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 for the following expenses relating to the establishment of a University of Hawaii Leeward community college associate degree in nursing program:

1. Establishment of a registered nursing

training program $1,000,000

2. Coordination of a prerequisite

course-offering for the registered

nursing program $300,000.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii's Leeward community college for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1811
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII