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Atlas entry · Hawaii

Pu'ulu Lapa'au, Hawaii's health professional program

Verified facts

Program
Pu'ulu Lapa'au (The Hawaii Program for Healthcare Professionals)
Organization
Pu'ulu Lapa'au, The Hawaii Program for Healthcare Professionals
Location
Statewide, Hawaii

Reported by the program

The program describes the following on its official information, reviewed on July 29, 2026.

Who it serves
Pu'ulu Lapa'au is a confidential resource for healthcare professionals in Hawaii who are facing potentially impairing conditions, including substance use, mental health conditions, and fatigue. The program says it works to reestablish and maintain the wellness of medical professionals.
How it works
The program describes early detection, intervention, evaluation, treatment, continuing care, and monitoring over time, and it says it works cooperatively with healthcare providers, community and healthcare organizations, and regulatory agencies for the benefit of both the public and the provider.
History
Pu'ulu Lapa'au was established in October 2006 to take on the responsibilities of the Hawaii Medical Association's Committee on Physician's Health, and it's the Hawaii member of the Federation of State Physician Health Programs.

shrinkiatry context

Every state has a physician health program, but the details reflect the place, and Pu'ulu Lapa'au, a Hawaiian phrase tied to healing, is Hawaii's confidential home for a clinician who needs help. For the Atlas, it's Hawaii's entry in the physician and clinician mental health category, joining Maine, Nebraska, and Florida. Across those four states you can see the same core idea, a confidential alternative to discipline, expressed through different structures and names.

See something wrong or out of date?Tell us on the submission and correction form and we'll verify and fix it. Being documented in the Atlas is not an endorsement, award, or ranking.

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Badge text: Documented in the Shrinkiatry Psychiatry Innovation Atlas

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Sources

  1. Pu'ulu Lapa'au, The Hawaii Program for Healthcare Professionals (official). https://www.hawaiiphp.org/
  2. Federation of State Physician Health Programs, Hawaii (Pu'ulu Lapa'au). https://www.fsphp.org/hawaii

All Hawaii Atlas entries · The Atlas standards

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