Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 5, 1 May 2000 — Molokaʻi health [ARTICLE]

Molokaʻi health

"Lamalama Ka 'lli" (glowing with health), a multi-disciplinary effort to facilitate the management of chronic disease on Moloka'i, has been granted $470,000 ffom the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in response to a matching grant from the Queen's Health System. The program is based at Moloka'i General Hospital in Kaunakakai. "This is important to the community because Moloka'i has a unique culture,

and off-island caregivers often don't understands the concems and cultural needs of our residents," explained Dr. Emmett Aluli who, along with Dr. Phillip Reyes, serves as co-medical executive director of Moloka'i General. "Native Hawaiians make up about half of Moloka'i's 7,000 residents, and statisticaUy, have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Lamalama Ka 'Ili is designed to provide assertive, yet culturally sensitive intervention and education," he said. For program information, eaU Moloka'i General Hospital at 553-4205.