Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 9, 1 September 1993 — The state of health and human services [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The state of health and human services

by Moanike'ala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i During the last Legislature, the OHA Health and Human Services Committee I chair had, as part of OHA's biennium legislative budget, requested $600,000 annually for muehneeded direct heahh and human services for you, our people: pro-

grams to prevent and treat domestic violence statewide; help Hurricane 'Iniki victims deal with post-traumat-ie stress; create space in small group homes for adolescents (as an alternative to Ko'olau), and oth-

ers to help heal our Hawaiian 'ohana were a part of that paekage. Unfortuantely, it was not funded. Some funds were appropriated, however, for the Wai'anae Diet, and more than $600,000 a year will be going to Alu Like for its administrative costs instead. It is a huge disappointment that

since OHA's inception little attention has been devoted to this area. Are we being overburdened with bureaucracy in our desire to service? On a more positive note, I am happy to announee the formation of the Health and Human Services sub-committee on child and adolescent mental heahh and the intention to create another

sub-committee on prisons. With the help of Lorraine Godoy, OHA's heahh and human services officer, we have put together a task force composed of menīal health providers, a representative from the Department of

Education; Pua Kanahele, culture specialist; Dr. Neal Mazer, Child and Adolescent Mental Heahh Division; Fern Clark, Office of Hawaiian Health; Mark 0'Donnell, head of the Mental Heahh Association; community heahh leaders; and members of families affected by youth with mental heahh problems. Trustee

Samuel L. Kealoha, Jr., vicechairman of my committee, and I are also task force members.

There is a good cross-section in this diverse group whieh met twice in July and again in midAugust. Learning about eaeh other's experiences, we are eoncerned about the laek of treatment facilities for youth with emotional problems before the

situation becomes a crisis. Treatment facilities are few and very expensive. Many are forced to send their 'ōpio to more expensive mainland facilities away from home and 'ohana. This task force hopes to eome up with innovative, creative solutions. "We must dare to dream!" stated Jim Kahue, new assistant head of the Child and Adolescent Mental Heahh Division. There is a shakeup going on in their office because existing programs are not working. They are trying to make needed changes in an area that has been neglected and currently considered the worst in the nation. Effective preventive measures and programs are needed before problems become extreme. The state is being sued to improve services. Rural and neighbor islands have fewer services and a higher incidence of teen suicide — a situation that is an intolerable disgrace to our tradition of aloha and eoneem. This task force wants to eome up with program recommendations to make a difference for our youth, and will seek community input before proposing funding

recommendations for approval to our Heahh and Human Services Committee. The recommendations will then go to the Budget and Finance Committee and to the Board of Trustees for approval. Programs based on these recommendations will be jointly funded by OHA and task force member organizations. We are also setting up a subcommittee on prisons. We all know the high incidence of incarceration among our people. Now there are few programs available to help rehabilitate our pa'ahao (prisoners). We will work with prison officials, advocates, 'ohana and pa'ahao to improve conditions, and to focus on incarcerated adolescents to lessen their chances of going on to jail. I hope that the Board of Trustees will support funding recommendations in these areas so we ean support and participate in the healing of our renascent Hawaiian nation. I weleome your input and suggestions in these enieial areas of our lives. Mālama pono. E mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono.

We are concerned about the laek of treatment facilities for youth with emotional problems before the situation becomes a crisis. Treatment facilities are few and very expensive. Many are forced to go to the mainland.