HPCA's documentary on health care in Hawaii premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival's Spring Showcase. Over 300 enthusiastic supporters and filmgoers experienced the full power and inspiration of "Ola," a film about health care but also about hope and its vital role in healing Hawaii's communities.

Those who attended the premiere called the film "inspirational," "life changing," and "emotionally powerful." Teachers, health care professionals, retirees, students, and many others declared that Ola not only opened their eyes to a larger view of health care, but left them feeling energized for the future.

During and after the Q&A session following Ola's premiere, many audience members requested information on additional screenings which are being planned for the neighbor islands. To stay informed of future showtimes and locations, Like the film's Facebook page: Ola - Health is Everything.

If you'd like to inquire about a private showing for your organization or community, contact the producer Matthew Nagato directly at OlaScreening.

Aloha, Senator

Senator Inouye at the 20th Anniversary celebration for Waimanalo Health Center, August 2012

The Hawaii Primary Care Association, along with its fourteen community health center members, extend our condolences to the family of the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye.

Thanks in large measure to Senator Inouye's longstanding and steadfast commitment to public health, the community health center movement, and Native Hawaiian issues, our Association has been able to provide comprehensive health care services to hundreds of thousands throughout our state.

The Senator's vision lives on in all those he inspired with his decades of public service, particularly the HPCA staff and the thousands who work every day in our health centers to fulfill that vision of a more just, equitable, and healthy Hawaii.

Aloha, Senator. And mahalo for a life's work in service of the greater good.  

In addition to featured keynote speakers Larry Cohen and Dr. Anthony Iton, a number of conference sessions will also explore innovative partnerships and programs that connect improvements in population health with key policy issues like workforce development, environmental protection, and social justice.

Registration for the conference is now open and space is extremely limited. Take advantage of early bird pricing from now until July 17.

More information on the conference can be found here: 2012 HPCA Annual Conference

Now, with the dedicated work of community organizations and individuals, along with words of support from a few lawmakers, Wahiawa is on its way to establishing the newest health center in Hawaii.

Congratulations to everyone involved and to the town of Wahiawa. HPCA looks forward to working with you to transform health care in your community!

http://youtu.be/PUIsqwgMhPI

Consumer Groups Clash with Health Plan Allies Over Conflicts of Interest

From StarAdvertiser, March 18, 2012 (Kristen Consillio):

Two years away from launching the first major piece of federal health care reform in Hawaii, the beginning stages of a program designed to provide residents access to affordable health insurance is already bogged down in controversy.

The federal Affordable Care Act requires all states to set up health insurance exchanges, which will match uninsured individuals to subsidized health care plans.

Hawaii's health insurance exchange, known as the Hawaii Health Connector, is stirring contention among consumer advocacy groups opposed to officials from the health insurance industry serving on the exchange board.

The board will oversee the design of the exchange, and the consumer groups are concerned insurance company representatives might place their companies' needs above consumers' interests.

The Hawaii Health Connector could be used by as many as 100,000 uninsured Hawaii residents to select their health care coverage.

The federal law mandates that health insurance exchanges — envisioned as a one-stop shop where health plans compete and consumers compare medical plans — be operational nationwide by January 2014.

But Hawaii's program could be compromised even before it's established because local health plans that will compete on the exchange are also on its governing board, said Rosemarie Day, a national health exchange expert who helped develop the 2006 Massachusetts program, on which the federal legislation is based.

The state's largest health insurers, Hawaii Medical Service Association and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, as well as two others representing health plans, were recently appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to the health exchange board. Abercrombie's appointees must be confirmed by the state Senate. A hearing on the nominees will be held Friday before the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee at 9 a.m. in Conference Room 229 of the state Capitol.

"It's an inherent conflict of interest. People are getting wise that this is really a bad situation," said Barbara Kim Stanton, AARP state director. "What's at stake here is transparency, ensuring there's no conflict of interest and that the consumers' interest is first and foremost."

The exchange potentially opens up a new $300 million market, based on average monthly premiums and the number of estimated uninsured who would be covered, according to the Hawaii Primary Care Association. The estimates do not include the small businesses and families of four earning less than $80,000 that are also eligible to purchase insurance — and receive subsidies — through the program.

There is a fear that the insurers, which provide coverage for the bulk of residents, will discourage competing health plans from entering the Hawaii market and hinder smaller plans that require a certain amount of market share to be viable, from joining the exchange.

"Generally in competitive markets the idea is you've got to have competition or you're not getting the best price. Potentially that's the big risk," said Day, president of Boston-based Day Health Strategies and a consultant for AlohaCare. "If you can't get full competitive value, then that's going to hurt the consumer. You have people on the board that perhaps that's not their goal because that's not in their company's best interest. They don't necessarily want to set up a mechanism that's going to underminewhat they've already got."

Read more from the article at the StarAdvertiser: Red Flags raised over set up of insurance exchange.

$300,000 awarded to community-based projects

Hilo, Hawai‘i (March 6, 2012)—The Hawai‘i Island Beacon Community (HIBC) has selected 17 community-based projects for its Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Program aiming to effect positive changes in people’s eating, physical activity and tobacco use habits. Supported by approximately $300,000 of HIBC’s federal funding, the HEAL Projects will run through February 2013 and directly reach over 15,000 Hawai‘i Island residents in all regions, of all ages, from diverse ethnic groups—including those most at risk.

“We received numerous applications for the HEAL Program from all communities, demonstrating that the people of Hawai‘i Island are ready to make healthy living a priority,” said Susan B. Hunt, MHA, project director and CEO of HIBC. “We are proud to support 17 HEAL Projects that will deliver innovative, targeted outreach into the communities where it is needed most. As HIBC witnesses and supports the growth of a movement to improve health and health care, we hope to catalyze even greater synergy among organizations and advance the development of long-term solutions.”

The HEAL Program kicks off with a mandatory health literacy training day on March 15, 2012 for the leaders from all HEAL Projects. Throughout the year, updates and testimonials will be posted at hibeacon.org.

“The vision for the HEAL Projects is that they will build momentum and be impactful because they have been specifically developed by population and geography,” said Jessica Yamamoto, community engagement manager for HIBC. “They are run by organizations and staff who are themselves a part of their community and have a deep understanding of that community’s needs.” 

The 17 HEAL Projects are:

• Big Island Babes Junior Roller Derby
• Building a Garden and Doing Physical Activities to Improve Healthy Eating
• Eat-Think-Grow: Nutritional Education for School Garden Teachers
• Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Office-Based Strategies for Prevention and Intervention
• Get Fit Hawai‘i 2012
• Hana Ka Lima
• Healthy Families/Healthy Children
• The HHDC Healthy Abundance Project
• Huli Ka Lima Ilalo
• Ka ‘Ohana Mahi‘ai
• Keeping Keiki Kicking
• Mahi A ‘Ai Cultivate Health and Wellness Project
• Marshallese Mobile Screening Clinic (MMSC)
• Mothers on the Move (MOM)
• Volunteer Counseling and Health Screenings
• Sowing Seeds
• What About Tobacco (WAT) Youth Prevention Project

Hawai‘i Island Beacon Community (HIBC) is an island-wide federally funded collaborative project  administered through the College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, working to improve  health care on Hawai‘i Island. Through technology, clinical transformation, and outreach, HIBC is committed to improving the health of Hawai‘i Island residents and empowering them to be more actively involved in their own health. For more information, visit www.hibeacon.org.

For more information on the training, please contact Alison Rowland-Ciszek at (808) 791-7824 or arciszek@hawaiipca.net.

ROBERT HIROKAWA NAMED
HPCA’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

HONOLULU, HI, NOVEMBER 4, 2011 – The Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association (HPCA) announced the selection of Robert Hirokawa, DrPH as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Hirokawa assumes leadership of the organization at a critical juncture. With health care transformation a significant priority in Hawai‘i, other members of the health care community will continue to look to HPCA for its trusted, unique leadership.

“HPCA remains committed to providing the stewardship necessary to address Hawai‘i’s health care challenges,” said Sheila Beckham, Chair of the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association’s Board of Directors. “Robert will continue to nurture the positive relationships with our partners that have been developed over the last few years.”

Previously an epidemiologist with the Department of Health and the Healthy Hawai‘i Initiative,
Dr. Hirokawa was also responsible for the development of the department’s Science and Research Group. He was most recently HPCA’s Chief Information Officer, overseeing the provision of technical assistance to Hawai‘i’s fourteen community health centers.

“I look forward to working with our members and partners to address the health care challenges facing our state,” Hirokawa said. “Although HPCA’s CEO has changed our central mission hasn’t, and that’s advocating for quality, affordable health care for everyone in Hawai‘i.”

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As HPCA's Board Chair Sheila Beckham wrote in the report, "For years, HPCA has been a reliable conduit for bringing diverse community interests together in the service of a greater good, and we remain committed to providing that necessary leadership in the years to come."

View the Annual Report online here: 2011 HPCA Annual Report Online

Download a copy here: 2011 HPCA Annual Report

In its editorial, the Star-Advertiser detailed the challenges of our current health care environment: decreasing reimbursements, tightened state and federal budgets, provider shortages and infrastructure. Quoting directly from HPCA's October 2010 report "Planning the Future of Community Health Centers in Hawaii," lawmakers were encouraged to support the work of health centers and social determinants like workforce development.

"If not for the health centers, many of these patients would end up in the emergency rooms of hospitals, which must then raise rates that are pass on to the insured. Dysfunction is costly for everyone."

For the complete editorial, go to the Star-Advertiser website (premium access required): Community Health Centers Last Line of Defense.

GOVERNOR ABERCROMBIE NAMES BETH GIESTING, HPCA’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AS HAWAI‘I’S HEALTH CARE TRANSFORMATION ‘CZAR’

HONOLULU, HI, JULY 28, 2011 – The Hawai‘i Primary Care Association (HPCA) is proud to announce that its Chief Executive Officer, Beth Giesting, has been named by Governor Abercrombie as Hawai‘i’s Health Care Transformation Coordinator.

This new position is vital to the state’s efforts to transform the health care system through innovation, collaboration, and patient-centered care. In her role as Transformation Coordinator, Ms. Giesting will help steer all elements of the health care system in the state toward adoption and implementation of cost-effective, quality-oriented models.

“As we saw during the last legislative session, issues related to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act aren’t simply limited to funding,” Ms. Giesting said. “There are very real systemic changes we need to put into place so that – through innovation and collaboration – we can heal our health care system.”

Ms. Giesting has been CEO of the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association for more than sixteen years, and has helped guide the association and its fourteen Community Health Center members through triple-digit growth over the last decade.

On her new role Giesting said, “I appreciate the Governor’s nomination to this post, and recognize it as a tribute to the leadership that Hawai‘i’s community health centers, their partners, and the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association have shown. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to bring about a New Day in Hawai‘i’s health care system.”

Read the Governor's announcement here: Giesting Named Transformation Coordinator

About the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association
Established in 1988, the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association is the voice for the future of health care in our state, delivered through Community Health Centers that employ a personalized, comprehensive, and attentive approach that emphasizes person-centered wellness, care coordination, and disease prevention. For more information please visit http://www.hawaiipca.net.
 

On April 26th the Hawai'i Primary Care Association was one of several organizations that testified before the House and Senate Human Services Committees on the devastating effects of proposed budget cuts to Medicaid.

To meet the $150 million in cuts ordered by the Administration, the Department of Human Services is being forced to cut access, cut enrollment, and cut benefits. HPCA, along with hospital organizations and providers, briefed lawmakers on the consequences of the cuts, including:

• Elimination of health insurance coverage for over 11,000 children;
• Driving health care costs up through increased use of emergency room services by those without access to care;
• Crippling Hawai'i's network of CHCs by creating the largest number of uninsured in nearly a decade.

An excellent report on the hearing was done by Hawai'i Public Radio. Listen to the brief newscast on their website: HPR , or on our website here.

After the hearing, HPCA's presentation, which detailed how Hawai'i's working poor are being asked to do more than anyone to balance the budget, was shared with all legislators in both the House and Senate.

• The presentation can be viewed here.
• HPCA's oral testimony can be viewed here.

In a meeting Monday night nearly a hundred community members gathered in a statewide town hall forum to discuss proposed cuts to the state's Medicaid program, which serves 20% of Hawai'i's population. Representatives from the Department of Human Services, which administers Medicaid, briefed meeting participants on proposals to reduce health care expenditures by more than $150 million. Residents and health center advocates proposed a number of alternatives intended to spread the pain of cuts more equitably, and to mitigate the dangerous effects the cuts will have to patient health.

See the news story on KITV: State looking to Cut Medicaid

Star-Advertiser: Medicaid Cuts of $180 Million Warned

The development of statewide recognition for the patient-centered health care home (PCHCH) was part of the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association’s legislative package this year, introduced as Senate Bill 1468.  The measure was intended to establish a Medicaid Modernization and Innovation Council to develop a health care home model for Medicaid.

 Pursuit of this goal required development of partnerships that demonstrated community-wide acceptance of and support for the PCHCH. To do this, HPCA solicited the participation of an unprecedented statewide coalition that brought together a diverse set of consumers, health plans, providers, hospitals, and associations, all of whom stood ready to roll up their sleeves and do the difficult work of creating a community-based PCHCH model for Medicaid.

 The Department of Human Services strongly opposed the health care home bill throughout the session, and we have not been able to reach any compromise on a community-based process to develop a model that allows meaningful participation of our partners. Ultimately, the Department's opposition to community-based development of the PCHCH created a level of concern among leaders in the Legislature, and SB1468 was deferred this week.

Given this, and the current political and fiscal environment, we think our energies will be better served addressing the massive potential cuts to Medicaid and retention of adequate funds for the uninsured. Therefore, HPCA is indefinitely suspending its PCHCH legislative effort. 

We continue to believe that the patient-centered health care home is an essential part of our future, and know that health centers can, must, and do play a vital role. We will continue to support that role to the extent that our resources allow, and will continue to press for more openness, collaboration, and supportive leadership from the Administration. Until then, HPCA will work with its health centers and partners to advance the work, in our communities, and with each other, to develop a seamless system of care that functions in the best interests of all.

Mahalo for your continued support, and for all that you do in our communities.