Hawaii has a current shortage of 1,000 nurses, 460 nurse aides and 300 medical assistants. Thirty percent of the surgical technologist and licensed practical nurse positions in the states are currently vacant, as are 18% of the radiology technologist positions. Hawaii had a shortage of health-care workers prior to the pandemic, and the pandemic exacerbated that shortage.

When we talk to health-care workers, the biggest single challenge to recruiting and retaining such workers is affordability. Specifically, we hear that the lack of affordable housing is making it difficult to make a living, even with relatively well-compensated jobs in the health-care industry. This means that many workers, unfortunately, will move in order to realize the lifestyle they desire and, because almost every other state in the nation is recruiting for the very health-care workers we need, they are able to easily find employment and relocate.

There is no easy answer to affordability, but we do believe that the housing shortage needs to be addressed now. There are legitimate concerns raised by some regarding the announcement from the governor to aggressively pursue the building of affordable housing, including environmental impact and community concerns. However, we believe that this is a crisis that will affect the viability of our communities in the very near future if it is not addressed immediately.

I believe that the governor remains very open and willing to listen to concerns and wants the best for our communities. There is always a balance to be struck — and he and his team will continue to listen deeply and respond to make sure this is not just a place people can live because it’s affordable, but also a place that people want to live in because of our culture and natural beauty.

We learned during the pandemic that we can work quickly and collaboratively to address emergencies. We have to do something different, and we need to do it now. We have been discussing and debating the housing crisis for years, if not decades. During all that time we have been debating the issues, housing prices have continued to climb, and the shortage of affordable housing has increased.

Every week we don’t take action, or provide our health-care workers hope, we have workers leaving the state, and we lose people we are trying to recruit when they see better options elsewhere.

We need more certified nurse assistants to take care of our kupuna. We need more medical assistants to support our clinics and hospitals. We need more nurses and radiology techs to take care of people in our hospitals. We cannot change the price of a gallon of gas at the service station, or the price of a gallon of milk at the supermarket. We can and must, however, build more affordable housing.

Hilton R. Raethel is president/CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.