It has implemented a new program of community partnerships with both short and long-term implications of the greatest significance for communities throughout the nation and the world. Applicants are hired for paid entry level clinic and hospital positions such as aides, orderlies, and ward clerks. From there, any and all avenues of training are open, provided the individual is sufficiently motivated and able. The Program provides training and educational opportunities which otherwise would not have been possible to a large segment of the population, thereby significantly expanding the pool of potential health care workers and alleviating present manpower shortages. This program, a partnership of the State Department of Education, the Community Colleges, the School of Medicine, and the Health Care Association of Hawaii, offers secondary school students interested in health career opportunities a fast-track educational option beginning in their sophomore year.
Every student is assigned a mentor from a health care profession.
The program launched at Farrington High School may be expanded to other secondary schools. The above-mentioned programs constitute different elements of a total health care system. Combined with existing education, research, and service in secondary and tertiary care settings, an integrated system of health care driven by community needs and preferences will evolve. The users of health care services will be involved in the design and maintenance of the system, and will participate in the allocation of resources for their health care. In this way the health care system is dynamic and ever-evolving to accommodate the needs of the various communities in the State.