Hawaiian Electric Donates $10K to Maui Nurses Scholarship Fund

Maui nurses will receive essential education opportunities from a recent $10,000 grant provided by Hawaiian Electric to the Maui Nurses Scholarship Fund. Provided through the Hawaiian Electric Industries Charitable Fund, the donation will enable continued education, clinical learning, and license renewals for active and clinical nurses in the Maui Health System and students in the University of Hawai‘i at Maui College nursing program.

“Mahalo to Hawaiian Electric for helping to keep our nursing professionals on Maui and updated with rapidly changing health care information and research,” said Nancy Johnson, vice president of the Maui Nurses Scholarship Fund. “The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated how important it is to the health and healthcare of Maui County residents for our nurses to be supported. With our islands currently facing a nursing shortage, in addition to a vastly overworked nursing workforce, the need remains for continued education and clinical experience and learning.”

Established in 1987, MNSF is a volunteer-based organization that supports the educational needs of Maui’s nursing profession. In 2020, the organization assisted 84 nursing students who served on the frontlines of COVID-19 response since the beginning of the pandemic, with an additional 68 students who joined that effort this year. The nurses helped facilitate COVID testing, vaccination and community education efforts.

This year, 10 nursing staff members at Maui Health also received support to take a review course for the Certified Nurse Educator exam of the National League for Nursing. With Hawai‘i nurses required to complete 30 hours of training for their bi-annual license renewal, support of MSNF allows nursing professionals to stay current on advanced treatments, medications and procedures that are a part of a rapidly changing environment. For more on the Maui Nurses Scholarship Foundation, check out mauinursesfoundation.org. 

“We’re honored to support our island’s nursing professionals and we hope more are encouraged to help this group dedicated to serving our communities on the frontlines every day,” said Mahina Martin, director of government and community affairs for Hawaiian Electric. “In our efforts to help build sustainable communities, we recognize the importance of ongoing education and clinical learning for Maui’s nursing students and our practicing nurses who greatly contribute to the overall health of our communities.”