K-12 students in Hawaii will no longer be required to quarantine if exposed to COVID-19 in or out of school as of this week. The change is part of a new set of guidelines from the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE), in accordance with federal and local public health authorities, DOE superintendent Keith Hayashi announced … Read more
Workforce shortages exacerbated by the COVID pandemic are pushing Hawaii hospitals to call for emergency rules that would remove licensure barriers for providers coming in from the mainland. If put in place, the rules would last 120 days and allow nurses licensed in other states to come and work in Hawaii for up to 90 … Read more
Independent labs in Hawaii experienced millions in increased revenue from providing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing during the COVID pandemic, according to a recent study by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO). The study estimated profits to be at least $10 per test, although the actual amount could be much higher. … Read more
Rep. Linda Ichiyama (D – Moanalua Valley) is the Chair of the Hawaii House Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Committee. She is also a co-convener of the bipartisan Women’s Legislative Caucus (WLC). In this Q&A, Ichiyama discusses her committee’s key developments this past session, goals for next year, and legislation to address women’s health. … Read more
Several states are starting to see an uptick in Covid cases and hospitalizations leading up to the summer months. Over the last two weeks, Hawaii experienced a 64% increase in Covid hospitalizations, according to a recent update from Becker’s Hospital Review. The figure puts Hawaii in the lead for most hospitalization increases, followed … Read more
Hawaii’s unique geography significantly impacted the economic and public health effects of COVID-related policies, a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research found. Hawaii had the lowest COVID-related deaths per capita and the lowest COVID mortality rate in the country. However, it also ranked last (51st) in economic performance and 46th in education … Read more
The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) announced Thursday that it would stop its daily reporting of COVID cases, switching to weekly reports instead. COVID case rates have rapidly declined in Hawaii, falling from 324 new cases per day during the peak of the omicron variant in mid-January to eight new cases per day, according to … Read more
Health leaders from three corners of the country reflected on their experiences addressing the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years at the 2022 State of Reform Federal Health Policy Conference. Discussions on the importance of addressing disparities with data, workforce reform, and more took place at the “How COVID has changed our health care … Read more
Representing unique perspectives on Hawaii’s economic landscape, three executives shared their thoughts on how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the state’s welfare and communities at our recent 2022 Hawaii State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Ray Vara, president and CEO of Hawaii Pacific Health, John Fink, CEO of Aloha United Way, and David Lassner, … Read more
Hawaii’s kupuna, or elderly population, has faced serious risks during the COVID-19 pandemic, not only from infection of the virus, but also loss of community and access to care as the state locked down. As the state population continues to age, policymakers are reassessing where to allocate federal and state dollars to better serve kupuna. … Read more