Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 3, 1 March 2012 — STATE SENATE HONORS HEALTH ADVOCATE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STATE SENATE HONORS HEALTH ADVOCATE

The Hawai'i Senate on Feb. 21 recognized Melvin "Kauila" Clark, center, for his outstanding contributions as a community leader, artist and certified traditional Hawaiian practitioner. Nationally, Kauila is a voice for Hawai'i on the Nahonal Association of Community Health Centers' Board of Directors. He is the first Native Hawaiian and first eonsumer of community health center service to serve as the board's Chair, according to AlohaCare, a nonprofit health plan founded in 1994 by Hawai'i's Community Health Centers. In Hawai'i, Kauila is a respected advocate for health and wellness, growing the role of community health centers and participation by consumers in health-services governance and policymaking, AlohaCare said. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center for 21 years. - Courtesy photo: Hawai'i Senate