HAWAII CENTRAL FEDERAL CREDIT UNION SPONSORS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP AT CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY
Hawaii Central FCU will sponsor a nursing scholarship at Chaminade University in the 2023-2024 school year.
On May 3rd, 2023, Hawaii Central FCU Board of Directors Chairman Neil Shimogawa, alongside fellow board members and the executive management team, visited the Chaminade University Campus to present a $5,000 check to Chaminade University President Lynn Babington. The Board also had an opportunity to take a tour of the campus with a focus on the nursing program.
“With our Harkness branch at the Queen’s Medical Center, we have become intimately and acutely aware of increasing needs in the healthcare professions,” said Hawaii Central FCU President Drake Tanabe. “The COVID-19 Pandemic was rough for our members at Queen’s, and the recent report by the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) confirms what we have witnessed, firsthand.”
According to the HAH report released last November, “The state’s need for healthcare professionals has grown 76 percent – from 2,200 job openings in 2019 to 3,873 openings.” Patient-facing care services are among Hawaii’s most in‐demand healthcare jobs, to include:
- Registered Specialty Nurses: 999 job openings. This represents a 116 percent increase (or 536 new positions) since 2019.
- Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Clinical Assistants/Nurse Aides: 744 openings. Openings increased by 78 percent (or 327 new job openings) since 2019.
- Entry‐Level Positions: 320 total openings:
- Personal Care Assistants: 181 openings
- Phlebotomists: 128 openings
- Patient Service Representatives: 11 openings
- Medical Assistants: 278 openings. Job vacancies for this position increased by 162 percent (or 172 positions) since 2019.
- Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). 211 openings, creating a statewide LPN job vacancy rate of 30 percent. Job openings increased by 47 percent (or 67 positions) since 2019.
- Social Workers: 126 openings. This represents an increase of 110 percent (66 positions) since 2019.
HAH is the nonprofit trade organization serving Hawaii’s hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, Type II adult residential care homes, home care companies, and hospices. It is the state affiliate for national organizations that include the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, and the National Association for Home Care and Hospice.
Reflecting upon the impacts of the Pandemic, Babington said, “We have embraced our kuleana–our obligation–to redouble our efforts to live our social service mission, seeking out ways to expand our reach in order to meet new needs.”
“Helping to support our community is a huge priority for Hawaii Central,” said Shimogawa. “Hawaii Central is always looking for ways to give back to our community, and working with Chaminade came naturally.”
