Kalihi Palama Health Center

Overview

Kalihi-Pālama Health Center (KPHC) opened in 1975 in response to community concerns about health services for low-income Native Hawaiians and increasing immigrant and refugee populations.  Kalihi-Pālama is a poor, inner city neighborhood of Honolulu with more than 58,000 inhabitants.  Within the district’s boundaries are seven public housing projects and a blend of low-income housing, industrial facilities, small businesses, and the border of Chinatown.  Home to poor Native Hawaiians 50 years ago, today Kalihi-Pālama is typically the first home for immigrants and refugees.  Begun at Kaumakapili Church, KPHC more than doubled its patient capacity when it moved to a new modern facility on North King Street in 1994. In 2008, the new KPHC Downtown Clinic was opened at the crossroads between Chinatown and the urban Honolulu core to provide expanded access for patients.

Services

KPHC provides services in general medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, family planning, health education, WIC nutrition, dental and optometry programs, case management, and behavioral/mental health.  KPHC staff is able to serve patients in multiple languages including Ilocano, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Samoan, Spanish, Laotian, Tongan, Chukkese, Pohnpeian and Kosraean.  It has partnered with the Institute of Human Services and River of Life Mission to deliver health care to the area’s large homeless population, and with WIC to provide breastfeeding and nutrition counseling with food coupons.  KPHC is an education site for the University of Hawai‘i’s Schools of Nursing, Medicine, and Social Work.  It also collaborates on community research projects with other Community Health Centers and the Association of Asian and Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO).

Satellite Offices

• Kohou Street Clinic
  The Kohou Street Clinic is home base for the PATH outreach workers, along with HCDCH funded outreach workers and the Administrative Staff of Health Care for the Homeless Project.  The clinic is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and clients can go to the Kohou Clinic for Case Management services, representative payee services, or just to hang out.
• Ka‘a‘ahi Street Clinic
  Located at the Institute for Human Services Women and Family Homeless Shelter, the Ka’a’ahi Street Clinic provides an array of services including: psychiatric care, first aid, acute medical care, TB screening, infection control, case management, follow-up and referral services.  Dental services are also available.
• River of Life
  Located in the heart of Chinatown, services offered by the Health Care for the Homeless Project include: first aid, acute medical care, TB screening, infection control, follow-up and referral.
• Safe Haven Clinic 
  Safe Haven is a transitional shelter for individuals who are homeless and suffer from a severe mental illness.  Screenings for this program are conducted Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays from 9am-12pm.  Services include: outreach, case management, psychiatric, medical, housing, money management, representative payee services, and activity center services.  The activity center offers shower and laundry facilities, case management, and daily activities. 
• Sumner St Clinic
  Located at the Institute for Human Services Men’s Homeless Shelter in Iwilei.  Psychiatric care, acute medical care, TB screening, follow-up and referral services are available on a first come, first served basis.  Case Management services include:  assistance with benefit attainment, money management, housing, food, and clothing.  Psychiatric services are available for walk-in during clinic hours as no appointments are given.
• Special Populations/Health Issues
  Immigrants; migrants from the Freely Associated States; homeless persons; transient and uninsured population.  The large immigrant population seen at KPHC has high rates of dental needs, low immunization rates, tuberculosis, hepatitis B exposure, and parasitic and skin diseases.  This group also experiences high rates of substance abuse, family violence, mental health conditions, late or no prenatal care and low literacy.  Due to the multi-ethnic immigrant nature of the service area, patients often combine traditional therapies with western treatment.  The highest morbidity rates reported by KPHC are for hypertension, asthma, diabetes, and heart conditions.

Patient Profile for 2006

• Ethnic groups served (top 3): Asian (37%), Pacific Islander (26%), Caucasian (12%) 
• Unduplicated Patients: 12,643
• Patient Visits: 60,067
  • 19 years of age and under: 32%
  • 65 years of age or older: 10%
• Female: 57%
• Uninsured: 37%
• Medicaid: 49%
• Medicare: 4%
• Patients best served in a language other than English: 29%
• Patients with an income less than 200% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL): 91%
• Homeless Patients: 1,560

Staffing

Kalihi-Pālama Health Center employs board-certified physicians in family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry; nurse practitioners; midwives; nurses; dentists; social workers; optometrists; nutritionists; case managers; medical/dental/optometric assistants; and health educators.

Federal Funding

Kalihi-Pālama Health Center is the grantee or subcontractor for:

• 330(e) Grantee
• 330(h) Health Care for the Homeless Sub-recipient
• Family Planning
• WIC
• HUD for Homeless Programs
• Adult Mental Health Outreach and Services
• Area Health Education Center (AHEC)/Professional Health Education

Federal Designations

• MUP
• Dental HPSA
• Mental Health HPSA