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Representing more than 170 health care organizations — including all or most of the hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, home care agencies and hospices in the islands — the nonprofit Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) is a trade association.
“We fill a unique role in Hawaii by representing the full continuum of care — not just a single organization or industry. That gives us strength and credibility when discussing important issues affecting patient care, and helps to ensure there is access to quality, affordable health care across care settings in our state,” said Hilton Raethel, HAH’s president and CEO.
As an advocacy organization, HAH represents members at local and national levels in areas such as public policy, payment and reimbursement issues, regulatory and quality matters, and emergency preparedness. Also, in 2017, the association created a “data alliance” to assist hospital members in decision-making based on collective statewide data.
In addition, in 2018, HAH launched its Healthcare Workforce Initiative. Due to low unemployment in Hawaii, Raethel said, “health care organizations must work together to recruit, train, and retain high-quality staffing.”
An Australia native, Raethel found his life’s calling by accident. “I had started an MBA program in Southern California and was looking for some part-time work, just to provide some income while I was studying. I was offered a part-time job at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles, and three weeks after I started, they liked what I was doing and offered me a full-time position.”
He then switched to a MPH (master of public health) program, followed by an MHA (master of health administration). “Health care is a dynamic industry that is constantly changing and evolving, which I love,” said Raethel, who has lived in Hawaii since 2000.
“Health care for me is caring for and giving back to the community while at the same time enjoying a rewarding career,” he said. “It is a passion and my mission in life.”
Question: What’s Healthcare Association of Hawaii’s role in dealing with the COVID-19 matter?
Answer: To support our member health care organizations so they can continue providing quality health care. As the COVID-19 outbreak unfolds, we have been working hard to get members accurate and reliable information so they can be prepared.
… We also work closely with national and local government and community officials to ensure that accurate and timely information is being delivered to key audiences such as the governor, legislators, county officials and the public.
Our Hawaii Healthcare Emergency Management (HHEM) unit is designed to assist health care organizations in preparing for emergencies, and to assist them during emergencies … everything from hurricanes and tsunamis to cyber threats and outbreaks of infectious disease.
Q: Top concerns related to the outbreak at this time?
A:One of our concerns is the availability of personal protective equipment, and masks in particular. Surgical masks are designed to stop the spread of droplets from coughing or sneezing by the wearer, especially if the wearer is sick. However, they are not effective in preventing someone from receiving airborne disease, such as the flu or the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Because so many people around the world who are not sick are wearing, and in many cases hoarding, surgical masks, this has impacted the availability of masks for people who are sick, and for health care workers. Many of these masks are produced in China, and there have been some production slowdowns and shipping delays.
Q: HAH’s Hawaii Healthcare Emergency Management Coalition is part of the national Hospital Preparedness Program?
A: Yes, the HHEM Coalition has over 160 health care partners across the state. If needed, HHEM can stand up field hospitals with a total statewide capacity of 150 beds, complete with generator power and treatment bays, like the one in the television show “M*A*S*H.”
HHEM also provides education on disaster preparedness and regularly conducts both tabletop and live drills so that members are as prepared as possible should an actual disaster strike. In addition, HHEM coordinates with military and community partners to provide medical assistance on missions around Hawaii and the Pacific.
The measles outbreak in Samoa garnered a lot of attention (in December), but team members have also assisted with interisland patient air transports, rendered care to Kauai flood victims, helped the injured when an Air Niu Guinea flight crashed into Chuuk lagoon, and made sure our Hawaii health care organizations had what they needed during hurricanes Lane and Olivia.
In July, HHEM will work with the U.S. Navy and other partners on the Rim of the Pacific’s (RIMPAC) humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercise. The simulation for this year will be a hurricane scenario.
Q: What are HAH’s priorities for the 2020 Legislature?
A: One of our primary focus areas this year will be on health care workforce development. HAH is seeking a grant-in-aid to build on the work our members are already doing in our public high schools to provide certification programs for students. The state grant will help us pay for student scholarships, medical equipment, software, staffing and college credit for these high school students.
HAH is also concerned about violence against health care workers, in particular our health care security personnel. Another focus area is ensuring that as many health care resources as possible are spent on patient care, and not on unnecessary bureaucracy or on unfunded mandates.
We are fortunate to have good working relationships with regulatory agencies such as the state Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Public Safety and the Judiciary, where we are able to collaborate and work together on addressing the health care needs of the people of Hawaii while at the same time ensuring there is appropriate oversight and regulation.
Q: The recent jobs report issued by HAH’s Healthcare Workforce Initiative includes some worrisome findings. Among them: More than 2,200 non-physician job openings in Hawaii’s hospitals and health care facilities are taking as long as a year to fill. Thoughts on the report?
A: The fact that open job positions are taking an average of six to 12 months to fill tells us that we must work more closely with stakeholders in business, education and government sectors to better align Hawaii’s recruitment and education efforts with the evolving needs of health care employers.
The report helped to focus attention on the key non-physician health care jobs that are in the highest demand — and a number of these jobs don’t require multiple years of formal education. In fact, training for some of the high-need professions, such as nursing aides, medical assistants, and phlebotomists, can be obtained during high school and students can be ready for certification upon graduating.
We want students to know that they can go right into health care after high school, and start on a career path that can take them into more than 200 different jobs in this sector. It’s a life-long career path.
Q: Along those lines, HAH is working with high schools and colleges to “better align their programs, certificates, and degrees” with the needs of health care providers. How is that effort going?
A: Never before have the health care, business and education sectors worked so closely together as they have been doing lately.
For example, the (Workforce Initiative) report findings showed us which health care professions were in demand in Hawaii, and of those, which had no local training available. Physical therapy is a prime example. Since the report came out, there has been greater interest by local colleges and universities in developing a physical therapy program in Hawaii. We are heartened by this progress. …
We also work more closely with the Hawaii Department of Education and the public high schools that operate “health academies.” These programs are moving towards offering training that will result in certification for their graduates. … Additionally, the Hawaii Pacific Basic Area Health Education Center has become a major partner in our efforts to reach students across the islands and generate interest in a health care career.
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