HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	193
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII'S JOHN A. BURNS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE TO PROVIDE ADMISSION PREFERENCE TO STUDENTS THAT MIRRORs THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF RURAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREAS OF THE STATE TO ADDRESS THE SHORTAGE OF PHYSICIANS ON OUR NEIGHBOR ISLANDS.

     WHEREAS, the relative shortage of primary care physicians in rural areas of Hawaii is one of our state's most persistent health care trends; and

     WHEREAS, residents of rural areas, many times, are older, sicker, poorer, and less likely to be insured; and

     WHEREAS, it is not just a matter of statistical analysis to attract and retain physicians for service in rural areas, it encompasses social, cultural, and economic details to make a good match; and

     WHEREAS, young people from a rural area who enter medical school may be predisposed to return home to practice when given proper encouragement and support to do so; and

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii's (UH) John A. Burns School of Medicine's (JABSOM) mission is to teach and train high quality physicians, biomedical students, and allied health professionals to practice in Hawaii and the rest of the Pacific, and to conduct both clinical and basic research in areas of specific interest to our community and region; and

     WHEREAS, JABSOM has the most culturally and ethnically diverse student body in the country mirroring the rich diversity of the state's population; and

     WHEREAS, a study published by the American Journal of Public Health 2004 entitled "Retention of Primary Care Physicians in Rural Health Professional Shortage Areas" found that physicians working in rural areas in a state where the physician grew up or trained correlated with longer retention in those areas; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that JABSOM is requested to provide admission preference to students that mirrors the demographics of rural health professional shortage areas of the state to address the shortage of physicians on our neighbor islands; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Dean of JABSOM, UH Board of Regents, Director of Health, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Health Professional Shortage Areas; John A. Burns School of Medicine