This event is your door opening to a medical career

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi is facing a significant shortage of healthcare workers, and a special summit is set to address this pressing issue. And this opportunity is your chance to look into switching careers or figuring out what you want to do when you grow up.

The 2024 Hawaiʻi Health Workforce Summit will take place this Saturday, Sept. 7, and it is intended to draw attention from key figures in healthcare and government.

The summit, which begins at 8:30 a.m., aims to address Hawaiʻi’s need for more than 4,000 new healthcare professionals. It will be held at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and will feature a range of activities designed to inspire and educate both current and future healthcare workers.

Dr. Kelley Withy, a prominent figure in Hawaiʻi’s healthcare community, will play a key role in the summit. Dr. Withy is the Director of the Hawaiʻi/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and a professor at the JABSOM. She shared her passion for healthcare to KHON2.com.

“When I was 12, I saw my brother being born,” Dr. Withy said. “He was the ugliest thing I’d ever seen, but when the doctor held him up, my stepmom said, ‘Oh, he’s beautiful.’ I thought she was crazy at first, but then I realized how much joy she found in her work. From that moment on, I wanted to pursue a career in medicine.”

Dr. Withy has dedicated her career to addressing healthcare shortages in Hawaiʻi. She noted that Hawaiʻi’s healthcare system needs a diverse range of workers, not just doctors.

“We don’t just want to recruit medical students; we need all types of healthcare workers. Our state needs over 4,000 new professionals to meet the demand,” she explained.

The summit was inspired by a conversation Dr. Withy had in 2008 with David Sakamoto, then head of the State Health Planning and Development Agency.

They discussed the urgent need for more healthcare professionals, particularly on Hawaiʻi Island. The initial assessment revealed a significant shortage, prompting Dr. Withy and her colleagues to push for a statewide solution.

“We started by assessing the Big Island’s needs, and then we took our findings to the legislature,” Dr. Withy said. “Legislation was passed to fund our efforts through a $60 relicensing fee for doctors, which supports the summit and other initiatives.”

Dr. Withy explained that this summit is for anyone who may be in any way interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. This includes everyone from those who want to switch career tracks to those in high school trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives.

“Healthcare Association Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific Health are doing an awesome job in the high schools and training hundreds of students a year to come out with certificates, so they can go right into the profession,” explained Dr. Withy. “Then, they can advance along the way, and my office will help them, help you, any step of the way, every step of the way, for anybody who wants to go into healthcare in Hawaiʻi.”

The Hawaiʻi Health Workforce Summit, originally called the Physician Workforce Summit, has grown over the years to include various healthcare professions.

It offers educational sessions on topics such as substance use prevention, childhood mental health and community health. There are also networking opportunities, job fairs and raffle prizes.

“This year’s summit will feature several exciting activities,” Dr. Withy said. “We’ll have presentations on rural health, community health workers, and even a yoga session to start the day. We aim to provide continuing education and connect people with resources they need.”

The summit is not only for current healthcare workers. Dr. Withy emphasized that it’s also open to students and the general public who are interested in healthcare careers.

“We have volunteers from pre-health career programs, medical students, high school students, and college students,” she added. “They will present posters and engage with professionals.”

With everyone from our Hawaiʻi State Legislature and Hawaiʻi’s Congress members being invited, some local and national legislators are already slated to attend the summit, including Congresswoman Jill Tokuda, who will open the event.

“We’re excited to have Congresswoman Tokuda with us,” Dr. Withy said. “Usually, the governor attends, but he’s off-Island this year. Instead, Della Au Belotti from the state legislature will be present, and we’re inviting all local legislators to join us.”

Dr. Withy believes that having lawmakers at the summit is crucial for addressing Hawaiʻi’s healthcare needs.

“We need our legislators to see firsthand the challenges we face and the solutions we’re working on,” she said. “Their support is essential for our efforts to recruit and retain healthcare workers.”

The summit’s registration is available on Eventbrite and through the AHEC website; click here. Interested participants can find more information and secure their spots by visiting the website.

You can click here to learn more about JABSOM’s Area Health Education Center.

As Hawaiʻi prepares for this important event, excitement is building. “We’re looking forward to a productive and inspiring day,” Dr. Withy said. “It’s a chance for everyone to come together, learn, and work towards improving our healthcare system.”

The 2024 Hawaiʻi Health Workforce Summit promises to be a significant step toward addressing Hawaiʻi’s healthcare workforce challenges and ensuring that the state can meet its growing healthcare needs.