Bill > SCR80

This joint resolution requests the Executive Office on Aging (EOA) to collaborate with the University of Hawaii at Manoa Center on Aging to establish a Kupuna Workforce Innovation Hub, aimed at addressing critical challenges in Hawaii's direct care workforce. The resolution recognizes that direct care workers are undervalued, face low wages and limited opportunities, and lack core competencies needed to adequately care for older adults. The proposed hub will implement short-term strategies from the 2025 Strengthening Hawaii's Long-Term Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan, focusing on three key objectives: meeting with stakeholders to improve worker recruitment and retention, standardizing core competencies and expanding training curriculum for direct care workers, and enhancing understanding of workforce gaps to develop effective career pathways. The University of Hawaii at Manoa Center on Aging is requested to submit a comprehensive report with findings and recommendations to the EOA by forty days before the 2026 Regular Session, which the EOA will then include in its annual legislative report. The resolution reflects Hawaii's efforts to address workforce challenges in long-term care, particularly in light of significant demographic shifts and the need for more robust support for aging populations.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SCR&billnumber=80&year=2025