Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 10, 1 October 1991 — Hawaiian Health Horizons [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian Health Horizons

O'ahu group tackles Hawaiian health issues

byTalmadge Heyward Administrator, Ke Ola Mamo A plan is best described as a collage of goals and objectiues set forth in a concise and logical manner, thus enabling the participants to meet their goals and be rewarded for their efforts. This is the process whieh Ke Ola Mamo used two years ago when basic ideas and dreams were shared around a table. When the Native Hawaiian Health Act was formed and the different islands were charged with carrying out this major task, it was never conceived that the time and energy needed to bring the project to its infancy would be so great. Nevertheless, through this exercise, a new health organization was born. With the service delivery plan submitted and awaiting approval, the board and staff of Ke Ola Mamo are concentrating on three specific areas: Infrastructure, training, and planning. In focusing on these specific points, the organization will be prepared to carry out the goals and objectives of the service delivery plan and insure the success and longevity of the organization. Currently, Ke Ola Mamo is housed at the corner of Nu'uanu and Vineyard at the old Chock

Pang Medical Clinic. With the administrative staff in plaee, the groundwork is being laid to set the financial side of the organization in plaee. With the help of advisors from the private and public sector, the business plan of the corporation will be complete by Oct. 1, and the financial side of the company secure. At that time, additional staff will be hired to carry out the business plan. The board of directors of Ke Ola Mamo was formed by concerned Native Hawaiian and nonHawaiian health professionals. Among the

organization's principles are the following: 1) Ke Ola Mamo will be responsible for health issues for Native Hawaiians on O'ahu. 2) Ke Ola Mamo is dedicated to" promoting preceptorships and providing guidance and training for Native Hawaiian professionals to leam management and leadership skills. 3) Ke Ola Mamo is dedicated to assuring that positive Hawaiian cultural values are integrated into the health care service delivery system for Native Hawaiian people. Another important philosophical doctrine of Ke Ola Mamo is the empowerment of Native Hawaiian families and individuals to access appropriate health care services, develop partnerships with existing health care services in a collaborative effort to improve access to health care, and work with Native Hawaiian communities and neighborhoods to assist them in meeting their health care needs. The board is in the process of establishing educational and training sessions for the community and the staff whieh are scheduled to begin Oct. 1 and eonhnue for a year. These educational sessions will initially be carried out in four target communities and then extend to other Hawaiian communities on the island. ln-house training will be on-going with the staff and board to meet the needs and issues confronting a non-profit corporation. Ke Ola Mamo has selected these four communities because of their service delivery proposal. They include the Waimanalo, Wai'anae and Ko'olauloa communities. A fourth project is being proposed as a community education and planning process for the urban Honolulu communities with future service implementation proposals. Two outreach workers and planners have been contracted to begin the urban phase of the plan, with a concentration on identifying and assessing the urban health care needs. Planning is in its final stages for the three rural communities and staff are being assigned to carry out the plans in eaeh community. Depending on the outcome of the grant award, the target date for the various centers to open is Dec. 1. Eaeh of these centers will house a site coordinator, administrative staff and outreach workers. By Jan. 1, Ke Ola Mamo hopes to be fully operational developing and implementing an aggressive outreach program to address the barriers and facilitate access to the health care system for Native Hawaiians. The elements of the system will feature a comprehensive array of primary health care whieh will include education for the prevention of disease for the general Hawaiian public as well as for specific targeted populations, appropriate screening services, access to diagnostic and treatment services by trained medical personnel, and rehabilitation services provided in the least restrictive environment.

Ril U)fJĪ 0(fl 0 0t 'Ao'ao Umikumahiku (Page 17)

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