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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)