Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 5, 1 May 2012 — A community coming together [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A community coming together

t has been three years since Hui Laulima O Hāna made Hale Pōmaika'i a reality. It was on April 11, 2009, that Hale Pōmaika'i celebrated its

opening, bringing dialysis treatments to the remote East Maui town. Hale Pōmaika'i was the beginning of the nation's first community-based dialysis center. It started with two patients, Cecelia Park and Francis "Unele Blue" Lono. The driving force behind Hui Laulima O Hāna, whieh made this undertaking possible, has been Lehua Cosma. Cosma's mom, Cecelia

Park, suffered from kidney disease and needed to travel to Wailuku three times a week for dialysis, whieh was not offered in Hāna at the time. It had been an ordeal that Cosma's parents shared for many years. To be prepared for their long journey out of Hāna, Cosma's father carried the necessities that he might need, such as a ehain saw, ropes, flashlights, water and blankets with them on every trip. Her parents' journey to the dialysis center in Wailuku started at 2 a.m. on the days of her mother's treatments. They left Hāna early to allow for extra traveling time in case there might be a road blockage. They didn't want to be late, because that would mean her mother would have to wait until the other patients were done before she could get her treatment. This schedule took a toll on both of Cosma's parents. Cosma knew her parents were tired and she started to look for solutions to help their situation. Hāna's only medical facility decided against a dialysis facility as a priority for the small community. So Cosma, along with volunteers, started the nonprofit Hui Laulima o Hāna to help those in their Hāna community. Cosma's journey to realize her dream of Hale Pōmaika'i was long and sometimes disappointing. She and others saw those in their community

affected by diabetes continuing to die while waiting for dialysis treatment to be available in their town. As she met with all parties that would ...... need to make this eommu-

nity dialysis center a reality, the statistics of kidney disease and diabetes affecting Native Hawaiians heeame ingrained in her memory. Finally things started looking up as Cosma got partners such as the state, county and Liberty Dialysis to eome together and listen to possibilities for helping the Hāna community. Liberty Dialysis committed to provide dialysis machines,

maintenance and support as well as programs and training for people to treat dialysis patients in the rural eommunity. But before it could start doing dialysis it needed to acquire a site and the funds necessary to purchase the machines. By the end of 2008 the group secured a site for the dialysis center and with the help of Ma Ka Hāna ka 'Ike (Hāna Building Program), they renovated the house that was used for the Hāna doctors. Ma Ka Hāna Ka 'Ike was one of the many programs that OHA has sponsored. The program provides students with marketable skills while also providing a great service to the community of Hāna. The opening of this facility meant that patients in need of dialysis who lived in Hāna would not have to travel far for treatment. Patients are now able to receive treatment in a homey atmosphere where they ean be close to their families and their homes. The people of Hāna ean be proud of their community-based dialysis center as they have heeome a model for others to follow who live in rural areas. Though Cosma has since lost her mother, her volunteerism goes on within her community to promote Hale Pōmaika'i and its efforts on education and prevention of kidney disease. ■

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