Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 2, 1 February 2014 — Kipuka o ke Ola -- revitalizing Native Hawaiians on Moku o Keawe [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kipuka o ke Ola -- revitalizing Native Hawaiians on Moku o Keawe

Trustee's note: This eolumn

was contributed by Cīaren Kealoha-Be-audet, Psy.D., and Franco Acquaro, Ph.D. n a recent eolumn, Trustee Lindsey discussedkuleana around creating sustainable energy on Moku o Keawe. Bringing forth sustainable energy is incredibly important, and Kānaka Maoli need to have a strong voice

at that table. Just as it is important to take care of the 'āina, it is also important to take care of the offspring of the 'āina, the people of this land. It is our kuleana to revitalize the physieal, mental and social health of Kānaka Maoli everywhere.

It is well established that when considering the various physical, mental and social health indicators, the Kānaka Maoli have the tragic distinction of being last in almost all of these areas. These indicators include such wide-ranging health issues as depression, obesity, incarceration, addictions, domestic violence, hypertension, anxiety, child abuse

and neglect, diabetes, poverty, early mortality, and on and on and on. The dark legacy of cultural trauma is easy to see in this situation. The indigenous people, the host culture, struggle to achieve well-being and health parity with their fellow nonPaeihe Island residents. This is

unacceptable and needs to be actively redressed. While the plight of the Kānaka Maoli is everywhere, it is particularly problematic here in North Hawai'i - Moku o Keawe, where the largest concentration of Kānaka Maoli are located. This large native populalion is situated in a vast geographic area characterized by a profound laek of public transportation and a paucity of health care services. In fact, the area has been designated as a Medically Underserved Area by the Federal Government. To help address such health disparities, Kīpuka o ke Ola was established. Kīpuka o ke Ola is a nonprofit Native Hawaiian health care program based in Waimea, North Hawai'i. It is designed to provide a full range of bio-psycho-social services to the residents of North Hawai'i, with a special emphasis on addressing the physical and

mental health disparities of the Kānaka Maoli populalion. It provides culturally informed direct services, actively collaborates with other like-spirited individuals and organizations, and is led by the community whieh it serves. The psychological services were the first phase rolled out in 2013 and are already operating near capacity. In addition, Kīpuka o ke Ola became a Hawai'i Health Connector site and is certified to help uninsured and underinsured individuals, families and small business find appropriate health insurance coverage. The medical/dental services will be the second phase and are expected to be rolled out in 2014. Kīpuka o ke Ola is a Hawaiian phrase whieh could be roughly translated as "Oasis of Life/ Health/Wellness." It is a name that was developed through pule (prayer), moe 'uhane (dreams), wala'au (dialogue with native speakers), and through the guid-

anee of advising alaka'i (leaders) and kūpuna (elders). The aspiration was to capture the idea of a plaee of acceptance and care, a plaee of abundance and vitality, where Kānaka Maoli and non-Na-tive Hawaiians of North Hawai'i could eome and enjoy wellness. Our vision is straight forward: The Kānaka Maoli living in North Hawai 'i will achieve parity wilh non-Pacific Islanders across all of the major bio-psycho-social ināicators ofwellness. Kīpuka o ke Ola was recently honored to receive a formal Resolulion of Support from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. We humbly join our efforts with the efforts of others who also feel this is their kuleana. To learn more about Kīpuka o ke Ola, visit our web page at www.kipukaokeola.com or eall our office at (808) 885-5900. ■

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LEO 'ELELE v TRUSTEE MESSSAGES /

Rūbert K. Lindsey, Jr. Trustee, Hawai'i