Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 8, 1 August 1991 — Island groups to send federal officials health plan [ARTICLE]

Island groups to send federal officials health plan

By Christina Zarobe Assistant Editor Native Hawaiians are one step closer to establishing a health care system that will specifically address their problems and needs. The five island-wide planning groups created through Papa Ola Lokahi were eaeh due to finish writing grant proposals by the end of last month, according to Dr. Lawrence Miike, executive director of the organization. The proposals are now in the hands of the federal government. Officials will divide up a total of $2.3 million and in October announee the size of eaeh grant expected to range from $250,000 to

$600,000 he said. Members of the island groups — Kaua'i/Ni'ihau, O'ahu, Moloka'i/Lana'i, Maui, and Hawai'i — have identified the problems that specifically exist in their areas on the path to developing eaeh island's health care system. The federal funds are available under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act, whieh was passed into law Oct. 31, 1988. A portion of the money was used to establish Papa Ola Lokahi, a five-member organization consisting of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the state Department of Health, the University of Hawaii, Alu Like, ine. and E Ola Mau. Statewide informational meetings regarding the act were held in September and October 1989. In November 1989, copies were distributed of the guidelines to apply for planning grants that Papa Ola Lokahi would provide to island-wide Native Hawaiian organizations. A draft of a Native Hawaiian statewide master plan also was handed out. Additionally, the act funded the formation of the Office of Hawaiian Health under the state Department of Health in February of 1989. The passage of the act means that Native Hawaiians are now receiving federal funds for dealing with health concerns that plague the people as do the Native Americans and Alaskans, said Miike. However, the work of convincing Congress on a yearly basis to appropriate funds continues, a "behind the scenes fight" Miike said U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye has been instrumental in handling. Although eaeh of the island planning groups are looking at the health problems exclusive to their area and creating a "strong base," the eventual goal is to "form an allianee down the road in a statewide Hawaiian organization," said Miike. Another feature Papa Ola Lokahi members hope to incorporate into the Native Hawaiian health care system is traditional Hawaiian healers, said the executive director. If the base of the Native Hawaiians participating in the system is "strong and large enough," another objective is to be able to negotiate with insurance carriers for Hawaiian health insurance, Miike said. In more general terms, however, the point is not only to improve Hawaiian health. "There is

a need for health care for Hawaiians. What this establishes is a health care system for Hawaiians run by Hawaiians," he explained. Eaeh of the planning groups has between nine and 15 members who have identified the health problems that "vary tremendously from island to island," according to Miike. Nearly all of the members have full-time jobs outside their work with Papa Ola Lokahi, some 70 percent are women and the leaders of two groups are physicians. Two island groups — Kaua'i and Moloka'i — were already in existence while the others needed to be organized. Initially, there was skepticism about the "promise" of federal funding, Miike remembered. But as progress is made, "I think they are beginning to feel as if they have control. All in all, I'm fairly pleased with the way things have gone."