LEO 'ELELE - TRUSTEE MESSAGES

A light in the dark: addressing
the health care crisis

Robert K. Lindsey, Jr. Trustee, Hawai'i

In my December column, I indicated I wanted to be a Champion for Hawaiian Health at OHA, and in keeping with that mantra I have asked Michelle Teuber, who is our Executive Director for Hawai'i Island's Native Hawaiian Health system Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi to author our January column. May we all have a healthy, safe and prosperous 2009.

Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi
Native Hawaiian Health Care System for the Big Island

Primary care, health care monitoring, and support for Native Hawaiians of Moku O Keawe

Like the other outer islands, finding a doctor on the Big Island is nearing impossibility. And if you are lucky enough to already have a provider, actually getting to the doctor's office is often the next battle, especially if you live in some of our rural areas like Ka'ū or Puna. Additionally Native Hawaiians, who face a myriad of Western-influenced, long-term chronic health issues (diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease to name a few), often have a mistrust of Western doctors and Western medicine.

Lack of doctors, lack of public transportation, excessive travel distance, lack of medical insurance and lack of trust in providers and the medicine they offer, combine to make a simple monitoring of your blood pressure a daunting task that is easy to put off. That's where Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi steps in.

With 38 staff in five locations around our island (Hilo, Pahoa, Ka'ū, Waimea and Captain Cook) Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi's basic thrust is to provide access to health services on Hawai'i Island, home to one of the largest populations of Native Hawaiians (census 2000 data shows more than 40,000 Native Hawaiians reside in Hawai'i County, second to O'ahu with 50 percent pure-blooded Hawaiians). Our mission is to provide health services and to enhance the quality of life of our Native Hawaiian People. We envision a healthy community of Native Hawaiians and their 'ohana where everyone achieves their full potential, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi began as a nonprofit organization in Puna when Hawaiian community leaders (mostly farmers), health professionals and educators in collaboration with Alu Like, responded to the Puna Hui 'Ohana's concern about Native Hawaiians' reluctance to seek medical care until it was too late.

In 1985, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a grassroots campaign was organized to address concerns about access to preventive and primary health care services and the many health issues facing Native Hawaiians who lived in remote areas of Hawai'i Island. These community efforts led to research that established the need for improved access to care and later resulted in the formation of the Native Hawaiian Health Task Force of Hawai'i Island in 1988. Finally in 1990, under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act, Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi opened its doors, and was recognized as the Hawaiian Health entity representing the Big Island's Native Hawaiians.

Our organization provides a wide variety of disease prevention and health enhancement services to Native Hawaiians through primary care, advocacy, accessibility (transportation) and education. We offer outreach services (such as home visits to conduct blood pressure and glucose checks), and referrals to other health-related and life management agencies.

Our community health workers conduct health risk screenings, assessments, and appraisals. We provide health promotion and disease prevention programs, which focus on Native Hawaiian health, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer awareness and weight management. Via our Mai Ka Māla'ai Diabetes Education program we invite community professionals to speak about self-care in the areas of nutrition, oral health, foot and kidney care, and mental health. We also offer hypertension classes, tobacco cessation courses and cancer awareness education.

Traditional healing practices (Ho'oponopono, La'au Lapa'au and Lomilomi) are available through referral to local practitioners, and physician services through our Primary Care Clinic. Our transportation services are offered islandwide to get you to and from medical appointments.

For Native Hawaiian health care services on the Big Island, call Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi at 969-9220. On other islands, call: O'ahu (Ke Ola Mamo): 845-3388; Maui (Hui No Ke Ola Pono): 244-4647; Kaua'i and Ni'ihau (Ho'ōla Lāhui Hawai'i): 246-3511; Moloka'i and Lāna'i (Nā Pu'uwai): 560-3388.