Access to Care
Understanding Hawaiʻi’s Healthcare Landscape.
To improve healthcare access, we must better understand what our communities across Hawaiʻi need to improve our health.
Access to Care is a program by Community First that takes a systems-level approach to address healthcare access and affordability in Hawaiʻi. By elevating community voice and engaging key stakeholders, Access to Care seeks to make timely and affordable access to healthcare available to all communities - including rural communities - across Hawaiʻi Island.
Every three years, Access to Care conducts a community health needs assessment. This assessment has allowed us to gather information and survey data about the current state of healthcare in Hawaiʻi from healthcare providers, social service professionals, residents, and policymakers, and ensures that those who are historically underrepresented in this kind of research are heard. Findings contribute to a better understanding of the healthcare delivery system in communities across Hawai‘i, and are being used to inform statewide healthcare policies.
Attend the 2024 Hawaiʻi Island Healthcare Conference
A core part of the Access to Care program involves bringing together healthcare and social service professionals, government officials, and policymakers at our annual Hawaiʻi Island Healthcare Conference to drive forward systems-level solutions. Our 2024 conference will be held at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort in West Hawaiʻi, on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
The State of Healthcare in Hawaiʻi
Access to Care was first piloted on Hawaiʻi Island in 2021 and expanded as a statewide healthcare assessment in 2022. Our latest assessment finds concerning views on the state of healthcare in Hawaiʻi:
58% of respondents say they have experienced healthcare delays in the past year.
28% of respondents say they live in a household where someone needs mental health support, but they aren’t getting it.
49% of healthcare providers say they are contemplating moving to the continent.
