With Oahu home health care decided to close its doors at the end of next month, the families of 100 patients are trying to find alternative services. But options are limited for those on Medicare, and there are no short-term solutions.
“It creates a real problem because patients either end up staying in the hospital longer than they should, or the family ends up trying to provide care or they have to get their family member to maybe drive them. to a doctor’s office, for example, for them to get some kind of treatment,” said Hilton Raethel, CEO of the Hawaii Health Care Association.
The closing will also reduce the number of home health organizations in Hawai’i to eight.
“The eight that are left are going to have to take on this load, and because they’re going to have to take on this load, they’re also looking for staff,” Raethel said. “That’s actually one of the reasons Oahu Home Health is closing, is because of staffing challenges.”
Of the 35 employees at Oahu Home Healthcare, about 60% are being offered positions at sister companies. The rest will have to seek new opportunities, serving perhaps 100 patients who now seek other services.
This interview was broadcast on Conversation on December 28, 2022. The talk airs weekdays at 11:00 on HPR-1.
