Hawaii added 22 new behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, representing 0% of the national weekly total. This indicates a very small, though entirely new, entry into the state's behavioral health workforce this week, signaling a nascent or specific growth area rather than broad expansion.
ABA Workforce Composition
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) sector, the update includes 20 Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), with 19 holding the RBT credential and one with a specific RBT credential identifier. Crucially, there were 0 new Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) reported, and no providers held dual BCBA and RBT credentials. This significant imbalance, with 20 RBTs and no new BCBAs, highlights a critical shortage of supervisory capacity essential for RBTs to practice, potentially limiting the availability of ABA services despite the growth in direct service providers. Beyond ABA, the update also includes one Mental Health Counselor, one Clinical Social Worker, and one Community/Behavioral Health Organization.
Provider Demographics
Of the 21 individual providers added this week, the workforce is predominantly female, with 17 women making up 81% of the total. Male providers account for the remaining 4 individuals, or 19%. No organizations appeared multiple times in this week's data. The new providers are concentrated in cities like Waipahu, Honolulu, and Aiea.
This data suggests a growing entry-level ABA workforce in Hawaii, but the complete absence of new BCBAs poses a significant challenge for supervision and, consequently, for expanding access to quality ABA services in the state.
