Ever since the pandemic began, the health care industry has been scrambling to adapt to changing conditions.
But the public face of hospitals and senior care facilities has been consistent: Hilton Raethel of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.
With a staff of 20, representing 170 member hospitals and other health care facilities, Raethel has been front and center as president and CEO.
When he took the job in 2017, the trade association already had major concerns about labor shortages in the industry — a situation that only became more critical with the danger of Covid surges.
One way the association supports the industry is by providing policymakers with data.
It last performed a major workforce report in 2019 and had planned to follow that up last year. But the organization opted to wait until things settle down for hospitals.
It intends to release updated findings this summer, including more attention on Neighbor Island physician shortages.
Raethel and the organization have often been busy behind the scenes as well.
For example, a 72-hour weekend of work kicked off last August when private companies Airgas and Matheson responded to Raethel’s warning that local hospitals could be running short on oxygen.
In short order, the companies switched from producing commercial grade oxygen to medical grade, and oxygen generators were secured and installed in key hospitals across the state.
