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Analysts fear end of Keiki Care

jnosorio — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:44:08 +0000

According to Helen Altonn of the Star Bulletin, the free insurance program for children has lost state funding.

"Although Hawaii has a high rate of children with health insurance, this is the wrong time to think of dropping a program such as Hawaii's Keiki Care, designed to provide free insurance to all children, says Jennifer Sullivan, Families USA senior health policy analyst."

Click here for full article.

18,000 Hawaii kids lack insurance

jnosorio — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:40:03 +0000

According to Dennis Camire of the Advertiser Washington Bureau,

WASHINGTON — Hawai'i is rated fifth in the nation in making sure children have health insurance, according to a report released yesterday. But that still leaves about 18,000 uninsured children, or about 5.8 percent of Hawai'i's youngsters, according to the Families USA report based on Census data from 2005-07.

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Kaiser Permanent Hawaii celebrates 50th by filling foodbanks

jnosorio — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:36:34 +0000

According to Kaiser Permenanete Hawaii, "Marking 50 years of caring for the people of Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii (KPH) is celebrating its anniversary with the entire community by awarding a total of $100,000 in grant monies, holding statewide member, physician and employee events, and conducting food drives."

Click here for full article.

Lingle to take special funds to balance budget

jnosorio — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:12:56 +0000

According to Nancy Cook Lauer "Governor Linda Lingle plans to raid special funds to help balance the budget, a move she told her staff Thursday is sure to lead to public outcry."

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Community Clinic of Maui New Building Plans

jnosorio — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:10:51 +0000

According to Maui News reporter Melissa Tanji "WAILUKU - Around this time next year, the old Ooka Super Market will be transformed into the Community Clinic of Maui's new digs, with touches reminiscent of old Wailuku town and of the family grocery business that shut its doors in 2005."

Click here for full article.

Hawaii's Hidden Epidemic - Diabetes

jnosorio — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:36:34 +0000

The Honolulu Advertiser's special 5-day series on Diabetes can be found with this link.

The series includes articles dealing with Coping, Living with Type 1, Hardest Hit, Turning Tide and Prevention.

Cultures unite to bring sailcloth bags to the public

webmaster — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:21:01 +0000

SOOZOU, a new line of chic, eco-friendly bags made from repurposed sailcloth, rope and other maritime components, has an international pedigree, with roots in Hawai'i, Germany, Micronesia and Vietnam.

SOOZOU bags are sewn by members of Micronesians United — a Kalihi-based group that is part of a development project in collaboration with Kokua Kalihi Valley Community Health Center.

Click here to read the full article.

Lingle releases $6M for community health centers

mokahata — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:31:09 +0000

In an article for the Honolulu Advertiser, the staff reports:

"Governor Linda Lingle released $6,109,000 today to three community health centers around the state for capital improvement upgrades and new construction.

The three grants-in-aid will go to the Bay Clinic in Hilo, Community Clinic of Maui, and Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center."

Click here to read the full article.

Molokai Ohana Health Center Hires New Executive Director

jnosorio — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:40:42 +0000

The Hawaii Primary Care Association would like to congratulate Ms. Desiree Puhi as the newly announced Executive Director for the Molokai Ohana Health Center.

According to the Board of Directors of the Molokai Ohana Health Center Ms. Puhi will be an excellent addition to their team. Ms. Puhi will start July 1, 2008.

Diabetes Program in National Spotlight

jnosorio — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:57:39 +0000

In the Honolulu Advertiser Suzanne Roig writes about Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services's diabetes program working with their Micronesian population.

Nonprofit registration bill advances in the House

webmaster — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:25:41 +0000

HANO (Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations) has posted an article on their web site which details the advancement of Senate Bill 3171 SD2. According to HANO the bill would require organizations that receive donations to register with the Attorney General's office.

For more information about this, please read HANO's article:
http://hano-hawaii.org/april-newsletter/public-policy/nonprofit-registration-bill-advances-in-the-house/

Clinic on wheels unique to Oahu

webmaster — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:57:50 +0000

Mary Vorsino of the Honolulu Advertiser writes about Waikiki Health Center's Care-A-Van program in today's paper.

Health Centers Appeal for Funding

webmaster — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:49:15 +0000

In an article for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin health reporter Helen Altonn describes the ongoing efforts on the part of the Hawaii Primary Care Association to advocate for adequate funding for the Community Health Centers.

HMSA Works to Improve Access to Health Care on the Neighbor Islands

webmaster — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:17:11 +0000

Lucy Jokiel wrote an article for Island Scene magazine detailing HMSA's efforts to improve health care across the state.

Hawaii's country docs may get Capitol help

webmaster — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:04:30 +0000

Derrick DePledge of the Honolulu Advertiser has written and article about a new incentive program being drafted by lawmakers to draw more doctors into the areas where they are needed the most.

"The proposal, called the Hawai'i Health Corps, would target a maximum of 20 doctors a year in the tuition and loan forgiveness program and 100 doctors in the stipend program." writes DePledge.

Executive director named at Waikiki Health Center

jnosorio — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:37:04 +0000

According to The Honolulu Advertiser:

Sheila Beckham has been named the new executive director of the Waikiki Health Center, a nonprofit medical and social service agency.

Beckham starts her new role immediately, succeeding Paul Strauss, who left the center to accept a position with Bay Clinic on the Big Island.

Management Training Program begins February 1, 2008

jnosorio — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:26:58 +0000

The Hawaii Primary Care Association has partnered with Kapiolani Community College, the University of Hawaii's Department of Public Health and the Pacific Public Health Training Center to create a certificate course in Leadership and Management in Community Health Settings.

The six-session program was designed to address management training needs identified by Hawaii's network of Community Health Centers and Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems. This is the second of a two-part management training series.

High native Hawaiian obesity rate goes against state trend

jnosorio — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:30:07 +0000

According to an Associated Press article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:

"Hawaii has one of the lowest obesity rates in the nation, but native Hawaiians are almost twice as likely to have weight problems than the rest of the state's population."

(See full article)

Financial gap in patient care widening at Hawaii hospitals

jnosorio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:18:10 +0000

Greg Wiles of the Honolulu Advertiser writes, "The gap between what Hawaii hospitals spend and what they receive in patient revenue widened to $150 million last year, according to a new report.

The shortfall compared with an $111 million gap between total expenses and net patient revenue in 2005. "

(See Full Article)

Isle Crisis: Medical Cost Imbalance Widens

jnosorio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:08:52 +0000

Helen Altonn of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin writes: "Ailing ledgers are part of health care outlook.

Rising costs and declining payments continue to plague Hawaii's hospitals and nursing facilities, yet the 50th state remains one of the best in the country in providing health care, national officials say. "

(See full article)

2007 HPCA Annual Conference

jnosorio — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 01:02:39 +0000

The 2007 HPCA Annual Conference has come to a close and we are already looking forward to 2008.

During the two-day conference the 130 attendees participated in breakout sessions dealing with issues such as Capital Needs Planning, Recruitment and Retention, and Public Relations, to name a few. HPCA was also fortunate to have Malvise Scott and Jacqueline Leifer present the NACHC Board Member Boot Camp to both new and veteran Community Health Center Board Members.

2007 Kulia Award Recipients

jnosorio — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 21:21:49 +0000

Each year the Hawaii Primary Care Association recognizes individuals who have positively affected the health and well-being of the nearly 100,000 patients served by Community Health Centers in the State of Hawaii.

The recipients of the Kulia Award are champions of our public health system and their efforts to boost primary health care help strengthen and improve the viability of the state's safety net. The Hawaii Primary Care Association salutes these individuals for their work on behalf of the community.

321,000 without health insurance

jnosorio — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:53:19 +0000

Greg Wiles of The Honolulu Advertiser writes:

"At least 321,000 Hawaii residents lacked health care insurance at some time during a two-year period that includes part of 2007, a new report says. The number constituted 29 percent of the state's population under age 65, according to the report by Families USA, a non-profit group in Washington, D.C. that advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all U.S. citizens."

UH medical grads seek greener pastures

jnosorio — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:15:40 +0000

Nina Wu writes in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:

"The University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine has top-rate residency programs in areas of practice ranging form internal medicine to gynecology and orthopedics. These programs, which put the medical residents in local hospitals for hands-on-training in seven specialties - along with the lure of paradise - attract hundreds of top medical students from throughout the globe The problem is getting them to stay once they're done."

Shortage on Big Isle seen at crisis stage

jnosorio — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:07:05 +0000

Nina Wu writes in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:

"Of all neighbor isles, the Big Island is experiencing the greatest population increase, making the doctor shortage there most acute. Perhaps most critical is the shortage of orthopedic surgeons, because car accident victims can be left in the lurch when no one is on call - especially on weekends - and must be flown to Honolulu."

(See Full Article)

Demand without supply

jnosorio — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:25 +0000

Nina Wu of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin writes:

"It is one of the most fundamental principles of economics: When there is a need for services, and money to pay for them, a supply generally follows. But that isn't the case for some medical specialties in Hawaii - especially on the neighbor islands, where a relatively small population and a high cost of maintaining a practice have conspired to drive specialists away."

(See Full Article)

Excess patient load stresses health centers

lchun — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:06:53 +0000

Helen Altonn of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin writes:

"Insured patients who cannot find doctors on the Big Island are turning to community health centers, which hurts their bottom line and mission, says Hamakua Health Center's medical director.

No one is turned away, said Dr. Brian Williams, 'but the more insured patients we have, the lower our reimbursements for our target population.'"

(See Full Article)

Need strains isle health clinics

web-admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:44:26 +0000

Helen Altonn of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin writes:

"The demand on Hawaii's community health centers continues to grow, especially on the neighbor islands, where private health services are becoming more scarce as doctors leave the area or turn away Medicare and Medicaid patients."

(See Full Article)

Congressman Abercrombie advocates community health centers

jnosorio — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:34:14 +0000

In a story written by Randy Obata in the Honolulu Advertiser:

"Congressman Neil Abercrombie returned from Washington, D.C. this week to help Kokua Kalihi Valley and Kalihi-Palama Health Center celebrate National Health Center Week 2007."

(See Full Article)

Community health centers a lifeline for many

lchun — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:06:26 +0000

In an op-ed piece Beth Giesting wrote for the Honolulu Advertiser:

"Did you know that in Hawaii 30 percent of us live in areas where there aren't enough physicians, dentists, or mental health providers?

Or that an estimated 120,000 of us have no medical insurance, while double that number have no coverage for dental care? How about that one in four of us lives in or near poverty, or that we're more likely than residents of almost any other state to be homeless?"

read more

Waianae chosen for medical school site

jnosorio — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:59:07 +0000

Nelson Daranciang of the Honolulu Advertiser writes:

"Oahu's Leeward Coast will soon be home of the state's second medical school.

The Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center is one of 10 sites selected this month to partner with the National Association of Community Health Centers and A.T. Still University in Arizona to host community-based medical schools. "

(See Full Article)

Waianae health hub's expansion starts today

jnosorio — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:51:57 +0000

Helen Altonn of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin writes:

"'It is a real milestone," said Richard Bettini, chief executive officer, explaining that nearly 10 years of planning have gone into upgrading the small center to meet growing health needs on the Leeward Coast.

The new three-story Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Family Medical Building is designed to change health care "to focus on prevention and early intervention," Bettini said. "To do that, we need a different kind of facility to provide integrative care.'"

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