THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	182
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I TO ESTABLISH CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM TO TRAIN COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AND TO INCORPORATE DISTANCE-LEARNING FOR NEIGHBOR ISLAND STUDENTS.

WHEREAS, for more than twenty years, community health workers have improved the quality of life for residents in the State by providing a critical service to connect disadvantaged populations with culturally appropriate health care resources; and

WHEREAS, over two thousand community health workers actively engage with local communities through community-based organizations, local health care facilities, clinics, or hospitals; and

WHEREAS, there is an imminent need to recognize the work and contributions of community health workers in the State; and

WHEREAS, a certification program for community health workers administered by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is needed to sustain community health workers as a professional health care career path in Hawai‘i; and

WHEREAS, in rural, isolated communities throughout the State, community health workers are invaluable, as residents rely on community health workers to drive long distances through difficult terrain to provide health care resources; and

WHEREAS, as Hawai‘i's communities, from urban to rural, have diverse, unique experiences, there is a growing need for curriculum used for community health worker courses to be culturally appropriate for the communities they serve; and

WHEREAS, utilizing culturally appropriate curriculum allows community health workers to engage with their communities while also learning best practices, training techniques, and relevant topics that focus on a community-based approach; and

WHEREAS, as some of Hawai‘i's communities experience inequities with access to health care workers and educational opportunities, providing equitable access to community health worker trainings for neighbor islands through distance-learning programs may provide further opportunities for Hawai‘i's people aspiring to enter the health care profession; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawai‘i is requested to:

(1) Establish culturally appropriate curriculum to train community health workers;

(2) Incorporate distance-learning options for neighbor island students interested in the community health worker profession; and

(3) Identify other methods to align community health worker programs with the needs of the communities they serve; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawai‘i is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Auditor, President of the University of Hawai‘i System, Chancellor of Kapi‘olani Community College, and Director of Hawai‘i Community College - Pālamanui.

Report Title:

University of Hawaii; Community Health Workers; Curriculum Design; Distance-learning; Report