HOW WE SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES
We address the health disparities present on Moku o Keawe (Hawaiʻi Island) through offering a range of health-promoting services and programs. We believe that the health of the mind, body, and spirit all are deserving of attention and care. We provide a range of healing modalities, from Western medicine to Traditional Hawaiian Healing offerings.
We have a Family Medicine Clinic in Hilo which is currently accepting patients who need a primary care provider, and also have a nutritionist that provides one-on-one nutrition counseling to those who have referrals from their primary care providers.
Our unique offerings include behavioral health services and healthy pregnancy course, which is an online, five-week series for currently pregnant women. Along with it, we offer breastfeeding support.
Beginner gardening classes are also offered, taking the form of two-day online classes. A kalo growing class is offered in-person.
Two different physical exercise courses are offered online: Yoga and Basic Stretch and Strengthening.
We also provide two support groups, one for cancer and one for diabetes. The diabetes one is fully online, while the cancer one is online and in-person.
For those looking for nutrition and chronic disease prevention and management information, we offer an online six-week course called Wellness Wednesdays. For those just looking to focus on nutrition, we provide a three-week online Advanced Nutrition course.
In addition, we do our best with a small team of dedicated, client-focused drivers to deliver transportation clients to their medical-related appointments across the island.
HAWAIʻI ISLAND’S SPECIFIC HEALTH CHALLENGES
With more than 4.028 square miles of land, Hawaiʻi Island is large enough to fit all of the other Hawaiian islands on top of it. Unfortunately, public transportation is not readily available in all areas, and many roads are not paved. Native Hawaiians living here who want to seek health services may face problems just accessing medical care.
In 2016, there were almost 55,000 Native Hawaiians who called Hawaiʻi Island their home. Unfortunately, of the island’s total population, 22% of people at that time had no health insurance, at least one in ten people had diabetes, and one in three people were overweight. Our island population also had a higher death rate from heart disease than that of the other islands (p.22).
Papa Ola Lōkahi ~ Nānā I Ka Pono Nā Ma (n.d.). Nānā I Ka Pono Nā Ma. papaolalokahi.org/publications