Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 4, 1 April 2004 — New Community Health Center will serve Moloka'i residents and promote well-being [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

New Community Health Center will serve Moloka'i residents and promote well-being

Two years ago a group of Moloka'i residents got together to discuss the island's growing need for more access to health care services. They formed a board calling themselves Moloka'i 'Ohana Health Care. The group began conducting interviews with individual residents, church groups and community leaders to assess health care needs and possible solutions. Information gathered from the community was used to complete an application for federal grant funding. Earlier this year, Senator Inouye announced that Moloka'i 'Ohana Health Care had secured a federal grant and will receive $565,750 to fund its community health center. Other recipients of federal monies are health centers on Kaua'i, Maui and O'ahu. The USDA, Rural Utilities Service has also granted Moloka'i 'Ohana Health Care an award of $283,500 for dental equipment and state-of-the-art teleradiology equipment. Other organizations providing support to the center are the Primary Care Association of Hawaii and the Moloka'i Enterprise Community. Moloka'i will be joining a strong

network of well-established federally funded health centers in Hawai'i including two of the oldest centers; Bay Clinic in Hilo and the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center on O'ahu. Bay Clinic has satellites in Pāhoa, Kea'au and Ka'ū and has won national recognition for its programs. Wai'anae Coast is well-known for its cultural and dietary programs for Native Hawaiians. There are 10 centers with 34 locations throughout the state. These health centers are the largest "safety net" providers in Hawai'i, serving more than 67,000 patients annually. To help these facilities meet the needs of their communities, there are purchasing programs and drug discount plans that have been developed specifically for community health centers by the Hawai'i Primary Care Association and the Hawai'i Department of Health. More importantly, Hawai'i's community health centers also form an 'ohana whose members quickly lend support and technical assistance to one another. March 20, 2004, will mark the blessing of the Moloka'i Community Health Center in Kaunakakai. Project leaders say the

elinie will serve an estimated 3,400 people during its first year of operation. Annual funding for the eommunity health center is expected to be in limited to $650,000.

The Moloka'i Community Health Center will offer primary medical, dental and behavioral services. Along the lines of Moloka'i's demographic configuration, the target population for the health center is the uninsured and the underinsured. According to Primary Care Association officials, about 11 percent of Hawai'i's population have no health insurance. Moloka'i's unemployment rate being the highest in the state makes residents less likely to have the necessary health coverage. Staff at the Health Center will be able to provide patients with assistance in applying for insurance

or preparing payment plans according to a sliding fee scale. Basic services provided by all Health Centers that are federally qualified include primary medical care, health education, case management, language translation, outreach, and eligibility assistance. Health care services are not meant to be free, but patients who are unahle to pay for services will not be turned away. Additional services offered through the Moloka'i Community Health Center will be determined by the community. Other eommunity health centers in Hawai'i have expanded their services to include adult day care, youth programs, fitness program, diabetes and asthma education, heart disease and prevention services and women's health services. Decisions on future operations of the Center will be made by the board of directors. Board members are comprised of Moloka'i residents whom 51 percent must actually use the center's services. Through this provision, residents have a voice in guiding the health center toward serving the growing needs of the Moloka'i community. ■

Project leaders say the elinie will serve an estimated 3,400 people during its first year of operation.

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Colette Maehaelo Trustee, Moloka'i and Lāna'i