Bill > SR63

This 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, focusing on implementing short-term strategies from the 2025 Strengthening Hawaii's Long-Term Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan. The resolution acknowledges the critical challenges facing direct care workers, including low wages, limited benefits, and insufficient training, and aims to address these issues by supporting stakeholder engagement, data gathering, and workforce development. Specifically, the University of Hawaii is requested to meet with key stakeholders, standardize core competencies for direct care workers, enhance training curricula, and improve understanding of workforce gaps and needs. The resolution calls for the University to submit a report with findings and recommendations to the EOA prior to the 2026 Regular Session, which the EOA will then include in its annual report to the Legislature. The term "Kupuna" is a Hawaiian word meaning elder or grandparent, reflecting the resolution's focus on improving care for older adults and supporting the professionals who serve them.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SR&billnumber=63&year=2025