THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	29
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII - WEST OAHU TO RE-ESTABLISH ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT HILO TO PROVIDE A PRE-NURSING PATHWAY FOR STUDENTS.

 

 

     WHEREAS, in the fall of 2015, the University of Hawaii – West Oahu partnered with the University of Hawaii at Hilo to launch the Ike Mauli Ola program, an innovative new pathway for students interested in pursuing a career in nursing; and

 

     WHEREAS, under this partnership, interested students could take pre-requisite nursing courses that are required for application to accredited nursing programs in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, upon completion of the pre-nursing coursework, West Oahu students could then apply to the Hilo campus' Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program; and

 

     WHEREAS, upon acceptance to the bachelor's degree program, West Oahu students had the opportunity to take University of Hawaii at Hilo nursing courses delivered from the West Oahu campus in Kapolei and participate in hands-on classroom lab activities via the West Oahu campus' Nursing Simulation Laboratory; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Ike Mauli Ola program was canceled in 2017, resulting in a lost pathway for nursing candidates who live in central and west Oahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the State's significant nursing shortage; and

 

     WHEREAS, had the University of Hawaii – West Oahu maintained its partnership with the University of Hawaii at Hilo, more nurses would have likely been available during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, that the University of Hawaii – West Oahu is requested to re-establish its partnership with the University of Hawaii at Hilo to provide a nursing program similar to the Ike Mauli Ola program, and a pathway for students attending the University of Hawaii – West Oahu; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii – West Oahu is requested to independently establish or seek partnerships for the establishment of a permanent nursing program; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the University of Hawaii System.

Report Title: 

University of Hawaii – West Oahu; School of Nursing Partnership