[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 67 (Thursday, May 6, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3355-S3356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER NURSING GRADUATES

 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate the 
graduation of the first 100 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander nurses 
from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. As a proud supporter of the 
nursing profession, I am pleased to recognize IKE AO PONO, the 
Workforce Diversity Program for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 
nursing students at the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.
  On May 7, 2010, IKE AO PONO will commemorate a historic achievement 
in celebrating the graduation of the first 100 Native Hawaiian and 
Pacific Islander nurses from its program in

[[Page S3356]]

only 6 years, contributing more Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 
nurses to workforce diversity in Hawaii than in the previous 80 years. 
As an academic support and cultural enrichment program, IKE AO PONO's 
mission is to increase the number of Native Hawaiian and Pacific 
Islander nurses in Hawaii to improve health and health care, with 
special attention to at-risk, underrepresented, and underserved peoples 
and communities.
  IKE AO PONO envisions a lasting improvement, advancement, and 
promotion of health for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander peoples 
and communities by increasing the number of culturally informed and 
sensitive health professionals in nursing. This increase in Native 
nurses will help to address the dire health disparities of both Native 
Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders who have higher rates of diseases such 
as cancer, diabetes and obesity, heart disease and an overall mortality 
rate that is significantly higher than other cultural groups in Hawaii.
  While the 2000 census showed Native Hawaiians as 23 percent of 
Hawaii's population, they represented only 7 percent of the University 
of Hawaii's students, only 2 percent of the UH faculty and 
administration, and only 4 percent of the nursing workforce. Therefore, 
in 2001, IKE AO PONO began as a 3-year pilot program with six Native 
Hawaiian students. By year 3, the numbers of Native Hawaiian and 
Pacific Islander nursing students had grown to 66 per semester. Between 
2004 and 2010, the number of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 
nursing students increased again to 80 students per semester in both 
undergraduate and graduate programs. During this time, IKE AO PONO 
helped graduate the first Native Hawaiian and the first Samoan Ph.D.s 
in nursing in the 80-year history of the School of Nursing and Dental 
Hygiene.
  Through the IKE AO PONO Program, there are currently 14 times the 
number of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander nurses at the School of 
Nursing and Dental Hygiene than in 2000, and many are focused on higher 
degrees in advanced public health, community, health, family health and 
nurse practitioner fields, as well as, a full range of other nursing 
specialties.
  With the full support of the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, 
the UH Administration and Board of Regents, the Native Hawaiian 
Councils of Kualii and Pukoa and community partners such as Papa Ola 
Lokahi, Kamehameha Schools, Queen's Medical Center and the Office of 
Hawaiian Affairs, IKE AO PONO is also preparing Native nurses to return 
to their home communities to support the health, well-being and 
recovery of underserved Native islanders in rural areas throughout 
Hawaii.

                          ____________________