HI HCR173

Urges Maui Health to collaborate with the John A. Burns School of Medicine, Hawaii Rural Health Transformation Plan administrators, and federally qualified health centers (Hana Health and Malama I Ke Ola Health Center) to establish a full-time medical residency program on Maui.

Maui County faces a 41% overall physician shortage (approximately 179 full-time equivalent physicians) and a 35% primary care deficit, according to the 2025 Hawaii Physician Workforce Report.

The 2023 Maui wildfires worsened the physician shortage by destroying West Maui healthcare facilities and displacing medical workers; geriatric medicine is especially critical with only 0.1 FTE physicians against a demand for 6.1 FTE.

Hawaii received $188,892,440 in first-year federal funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program, which could support establishing the residency program.

Maui Health is requested to submit a report to the Legislature on progress toward establishing the residency program and securing funding no later than 20 days before the 2027 Regular Session.