44% shortfall in Hawaiʻi deepens crisis

Yahoo

28-05-2025

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Every May, National Speech-Language-Hearing Month shines a spotlight on the importance of communication. At the University of Hawaiʻi's John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), faculty and students in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) are doing more than just raising awareness.
They are actively reshaping access to speech, language and hearing care across the state.
'They're awesome:' How JABSOM helps Hawaii's keiki get ready for school
'We're the only graduate program in Hawaiʻi that's accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,' said Pauline Mashima, PhD, Graduate Program Chair, JABSOM Communication Sciences and Disorders. 'Our mission is to prepare future speech-language pathologists, or SLPs, to transform and improve the quality of life for people of all ages with speech, language, hearing, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders.'
And that mission is urgent here in Hawaiʻi.
'Our program plays a vital role in addressing a severe workforce crisis in Hawaiʻi, with a reported 44% shortfall of speech-language pathologists to serve the needs of our local population,' Dr. Mashima said. 'This shortage is expected to increase because the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the demand for SLPs in our state will rise 24% between 2020 and 2030.'
'There's a huge need for speech-language pathologists across all settings, especially in the Department of Education,' said Kayla Kawamura, MS, Clinical Instructor. 'The shortage is over 40% in our state, which is crazy, especially on the outer islands.'
That shortage doesn't just affect children in schools. Adults recovering from strokes, those with Parkinson's disease and kūpuna with hearing loss all need care, too.
The work being done at JABSOM's clinic is a testament to how our educational system is working to fill in the cavern that exists between those with speech pathologies and those without them.
'We're a hidden gem right here in Kakaʻako,' said Brittany Evans, MS, CCC-SLP, Clinical Instructor. 'A lot of places have possibly like a six-month waiting list to get speech services. And with it being such high demand, we're here and ready to serve and take patients today.'
And their work to bring these services everyone in Hawaiʻi, regardless of income, social or economic status or cultural background.
'A lot of the private clinics on island have very long waitlists,' added Kawamura. 'But we want the community to know our clinic is fully up and running. And we do have openings, and we're ready to serve you.'
For speech pathologist, passion is a major driving force that directs their goals and initiatives. They believe that regardless of you are, your voice is needed to be heard.
'Speech-language pathologists, ultimately, what we believe is that every voice matters,' Kawamura said. 'We're all about building better communication, which lends itself to better connection. And that's all we want for our patients, is for them to feel better connected to their family members, to have meaningful relationships.'Making these services as personalized as possible is what is making this program successful.
'We really value individualized treatment,' Evans said. 'So, every patient that walks through our door is an individual; and we really want to honor their goals and why they're here.'
She went on to explain further.
'So, for example, if a patient wants to work on overcoming some memory concerns to be able to go back to work or if a child wants to be able to say specific sounds to say their family members' names, we really want to take your input into consideration and make each program tailored,' Evans explained.
And helping their patients set their goals and achieve those goals is one of the most rewarding parts of work.
'It's something that should be done across everywhere,' she added. 'Each person has their own goals, and if you're focusing on things that they want to work on, there's more chance of them improving.'
Age doesn't matter when it comes to speech pathologies. You can be a toddler; you can be an elder. There are so many reasons speech pathologies occur.
'So, some of the common kiddos that come through our clinic have autism. They might be late talkers. We have kids who stutter,' Kawamura said.
'We also work with children who might not have the physical capability to speak. So, our job as speech-language pathologists is to find some kind of modality for them to communicate,' Kawamura explained. 'Oftentimes it might be with a picture board… or it might be an iPad device… to be like a voice for them.'
Reading is one of the most important skills we learn in our modern society. And understanding how to read is directly impacted by speech pathologies.
'We're so fortunate to have secured a grant for our early literacy preschool program for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old,' Kawamura said. 'We're working on things like pre-literacy skills, like, letter recognition [of] letter sounds, while also working on their speech and language goals.'
'Only 30% of the kindergartners demonstrated the skills for kindergarten entry,' Kawamura added. 'So, our hope with the early literacy program is to bridge that gap and get as many kids as possible prepared for kindergarten.'
'Our students are dedicated to serving our community,' Dr. Mashima said. 'For example, they volunteer here to conduct hearing screenings for athletes at the Hawaiʻi Special Olympics and participate in outreach events such as the annual Parkinson's Association Walk.'
'And we're deeply grateful for our community partners,' Dr. Mashima said.
She cited the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation's Rosetta Fish Speech Therapy Fund, the Honolulu Stoma Club, the Daniel K. Akaka Family Foundation and the Hawaiʻi Departments of Education and Health.
'And, so, I always loved working with people, children and adults,' said Remy Kubota, JABSOM CSD Student. 'The opportunity to really just help people gain their voice and learn how to speak for themselves is such an amazing thing.'
'I chose this path because I really wanted to be able to help all different people and change their lives,' said Ellissa Wood, JABSOM CSD Student.
If you or a loved one is having trouble with speech, hearing, memory or communication, the JABSOM Speech and Hearing Clinic is open and accepting new patients. Located on the sixth floor of the Gold Bond Building in Kakaʻako, the clinic serves everyone from keiki to kūpuna.
'We're actively responding to this crisis. We have licensed, certified faculty SLPs who provide direct services to patients,' Dr. Mashima said. 'They model and mentor person-centered, evidence-based care at the highest standards to educate and train students for careers as SLPs and our PhD faculty.'
'Ultimately, what we believe is that every voice matters,' Kawamura said.
You can click to learn more about JABSOM's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
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And every May, National Speech-Language-Hearing Month is a powerful reminder that communication is a right, not a privilege.
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