Senate Bill in House Finance Committee -SB2983 Relating to Loan Repayment for Healthcare Professionals.

The Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses  is asking

YOU TO CONTACT Rep. Sylvia Luke, Chair of the House Finance Committee hear the bill SB2983 in that committee. If this is not funded this year, we will lose the Hawaii State Loan repayment program.

phone: 808-586-6200
email: repluke@Capitol.hawaii.gov

                                       TALKING POINTS

You probably know that Hawaii has a shortage of over 800 physicians, 500 nurse practitioners, 800 social workers, 200 physician assistants, and many other healthcare workers. In this time of COVID, with providers closing their practices, it is even more challenging to find a provider. Without a workforce, we will suffer many health problems!!

One of the most effective ways to get a provider to practice in an area of need is loan repayment. We have a robust program in Hawaii that has helped 52 providers practice in areas of need, with 2/3 staying in areas of need in Hawaii and 42% staying where they did their loan repayment. This program is HALF FUNDED BY FEDERAL FUNDING. But if we don't have a local match, we will lose this program.

PLUS, there is a significant impact of a healthcare provider working in Hawaii. This is from the American Medical Association:

• Total Output: In Hawaii, physicians created a total of $8.5B in direct and indirect economic output (i.e., sales revenues) in 2015. On average, each physician supported $2,282,615 in output.
• Jobs: In 2015, physicians supported 47,137 jobs (including their own), the total of direct and indirect positions. On average, each physician supported 12.63 jobs. 
• Wages and Benefits: Physicians contributed $4.6B in direct and indirect wages and benefits for all supported jobs in 2015. On average, each physician supported $1,227,143 in total wages and benefits. 
• Tax Revenues: Physicians supported $412.4M in local and state tax revenues in 2015. On average, each physician supported $110,494 in local and state tax revenues.

We believe that nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, and other health professionals have similar statistics.

Mahalo,

JP Moses, RN

President, Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses