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HCR 173

URGING MAUI HEALTH SYSTEM TO COLLABORATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO ESTABLISH A FULL-TIME MEDICAL RESIDENCY PROGRAM ON THE ISLAND OF MAUI.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Terez Amato and 9 co-sponsors

Urges Maui Health to establish a full-time Maui-based medical residency program focused on primary care and geriatrics, funded mainly by the Rural Health Transformation Plan and pa

House agrees to Senate amendment(s).
#maui #mauihealth #medicalresidency #report
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Bill Summary · HCR 173

Overview

  • Bill: HCR 173
  • Session: 2026
  • Jurisdiction: Hawaii
  • Title: URGING MAUI HEALTH SYSTEM TO COLLABORATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO ESTABLISH A FULL-TIME MEDICAL RESIDENCY PROGRAM ON THE ISLAND OF MAUI
  • Type: Concurrent Resolution urging action and collaboration (non-binding)
  • Prime focus: Establish a full-time medical residency program on Maui by Maui Health, leveraging state and federal funding and partnerships.

Purpose and Intent

  • Address Hawaii’s physician shortage, with a specific emphasis on Maui County, where the shortage is severe, including primary care and geriatrics.
  • Respond to recent disruptions from the 2023 Maui wildfires that impacted healthcare facilities and workforce.
  • Emphasize urgent creation of a Maui-based family medicine/internal medicine residency to bolster local primary care capacity and long-term workforce stability.
  • Promote alignment with the Hawaii Rural Health Transformation Plan and use of its funding to support residency development.

Key Provisions

  • Urges Maui Health to collaborate with:
    • The Hawaii Rural Health Transformation Plan administrators
    • John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)
    • Other stakeholders, including local health centers
  • Encourages Maui Health to use the Hawaii Rural Health Transformation Plan as the primary funding mechanism for the residency project.
  • Calls for leveraging additional resources to ensure rapid launch and ongoing sustainability, including:
    • Federal grants
    • State appropriations
    • Philanthropic contributions
    • Private partnerships
  • Specifies collaboration with:
    • Federally Qualified Health Centers on Maui (e.g., Hana Health, Malama I Ke Ola Health Center)
  • Requires Maui Health to report back to the Legislature with findings and recommendations, including:
    • Status of access to Rural Health Transformation Program funds
    • Other capital resources and funding opportunities
    • Progress toward establishing the residency program
    • Report due no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027
  • Transmits copies of the resolution to key officials and entities (Governor, Maui Mayor, JABSOM Dean, Rural Health Transformation Plan Oversight Team chair, Maui Health CEO, Hana Health CEO, Malama I Ke Ola Health Center CEO)

Who/What Would Be Affected

  • Maui Health (major health system on Maui) as the lead partner for establishing the residency program.
  • Maui County residents, particularly:
    • Current and future patients needing primary and geriatric care
    • Aging population (noted shortages in geriatric medicine)
  • Local healthcare providers and facilities, including:
    • Federally Qualified Health Centers (Hana Health, Malama I Ke Ola Health Center)
  • State entities and programs:
    • Hawaii Rural Health Transformation Plan and its oversight team
    • John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)
  • Potential beneficiaries of expanded residency training and local physician workforce growth

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Nature: Non-binding concurrent resolution urging action and collaboration, not a statute.
  • Reporting timeline: Maui Health to provide a findings and recommendations report to the Legislature no later than 20 days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2027.
  • Legislative path: Passed through House and Senate committees with amendments (notably from HHS and FIN), and reported/advocated in 2026 with expected formal adoption and transmission between chambers before 2027 session.

Additional Context

  • The bill cites quantified workforce gaps from the 2025 Hawaii Physician Workforce Report, highlighting a 41% overall physician shortage in Maui County (approx. 179 FTE physicians) and a 35% primary care shortfall on Maui, with geriatric supply critically low (0.1 FTE vs. 6.1 FTE demand).
  • The initiative aligns with federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding, recently awarded to Hawaii ($188.9 million for year one), intended to expand rural training sites, support residencies, and recruit/retain providers in underserved areas.

Summary

HCR 173 urges Maui Health to collaboratively pursue and establish a full-time medical residency program on Maui, anchored by the Hawaii Rural Health Transformation Plan and supplemented by additional funding sources. It emphasizes primary care and geriatrics, leverages partnerships with local health centers and JABSOM, and requires a progress report to the Legislature in advance of the 2027 session. The resolution aims to address Maui’s acute physician shortages and improve long-term healthcare access for island residents.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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