Corrections_Today_Spring_2025_Vol.87_No.1

OFFICE OF CORRECTIONAL HEALTH

Hats off to the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (HDCR) Nurse Managers!

By Terri Catlett

J ust imagine as a supervisor you need to conduct an in-person site visit for staff at one of your facilities. Typically, you get your car keys, fill up your tank with gas, get your map and off you go two or three hours in the direction of that facility. However, in the state of Hawaii, you have to book your flight, drive to the airport and fly on Hawaiian Airlines to the specific is land for the day. This is the typical day in the life of a Nurse Manager in Hawaii. Nestled near some of the most famous picturesque beaches in the world, an active volcano and lush tropical areas, the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (HDCR) has eight facilities spread across four islands: Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island. Most recently, the Secretary of Hawaii’s Correction and Rehabilita tion made the decision to seek ACA accreditation for his facilities for the first time. The Health Authority reached out to the Office of Correc tional Health to determine, “Where do we begin?” As with any accredi tation process, you start with the staff who can be change agents. For Hawaii, that means the Correctional Nurse Managers.

Adobe Stock/hildeanna

New Nurse Manager Program

the travel logistics. While they knew each other’s name based upon their organization chart, it was truly a wonderful experience meeting each other in person. The Nurse Manager course reviews healthcare in a correctional environment, correctional law, nurs ing practice and standards of care, supervision, enhancing an agency’s internal environment, interacting with offenders, managing humas resources, conflict management and developing and maintaining expertise in the corrections field. The course is classroom based

The Office of Correctional Health has launched the Certified Correc tional Nurse manager program to specifically address the vital roles and responsibilities that a nurse manager plays in a correctional environment. HCDR made a com mitment to invest in their nursing leadership by offering the program to their nurse managers across that state. For many, it was the first time the nurse managers were in the same room at the same time due to

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