Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 1, 1 January 1989 — Our Readers Write. [ARTICLE]

Our Readers Write.

Dear Editor: I read with interest the article by Gordon Frazier entitled "Hawaiian Births" in the October 1988 edition of your paper. I commend you for the focus given to this most important issue; that of perinatal health in Native Hawaiians. The following comments are offered in the interest of assuring that your reading audience receives a clear message regarding the various facets of this issue. The conclusion that Hawaiian mothers "are good about prenatal visits to the doctor" is eontrary to what in fact is a major problem whieh has been identified at the Maternal & Child Health Branch at the Department of Health regarding this group. In 1986 for example, 34 percent of the Hawaiian and part Hawaiian women who were pregnant, either got no prenatal care or did not access it until their second trimester, whieh is eonsidered late by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) standards. Inasmuch as the 1990's objective for the State of Hawaii is that no more than 10 percent of women who are pregnant will receive late prenatal care, it would seem more reasonable to send out a very clear and coordinated message from all arenas to childbearing Hawaiian women that they as a group fall short of maximizing a healthy pregnancy outeome, by the simple preventive health measure of getting to their first prenatal visit in their first trimester. As for Hawaiian babies, in 1986 7.2 percent had a low birth weight, whieh places these babies at risk for impaired growth and development. Again, if we hope to meet the 1990 objective that no more than five percent of all babies bom will be of low birth weight, we have some educating to do with Hawaiian childbearing women. The Native Hawaiian Health Care Act, whieh recently became law, originated as the result of "E Ola Mau; The Native Hawaiian Health Needs Study" of 1985 whieh documented that Hawaiians suffer disprop>ortionately from other ethnic groups in the State for most physical, mental and social problems. Furthermore, they tend not to seek help that may be available to resolve these problems. It would seem imperative therefore, as an initial step in the remediation of these problems that Hawaiians be apprised forthrightly of these sad statistics, and of their applications. Your paper is a most appropriate avenue to communicate such messages of importance eonsidering the target audience that you reach. As a member of the Matemal Health Branch of the Department of Health, vitally interested in health issues in Native Hawaiians, I would be most willing to assist your staff in any way that I ean relative to these issues. Yours truly, Fern Clark MCH Consultant/Liaison

Kamehameha Schools Child Development & Early Education Program

Editor: I would like to thank you for your June 1988 article regarding Kawananakoa's Space Camp Program. The trip, June 10-June 19, was one of the greatest trips that our students have ever been part of. They found the eamp, as well as the South, exciting and rewarding. I don't believe that they will ever forget Space Camp and Nashville. (However,) I have a problem again this year. I have almost 60 students going this year and some of them are scratching around to make the $1500 necessary to go with us. As part of our ongoing process of attempting to give all students of all ethnic backgrounds the opportunity to experience such a program, we told them to look around for scholarship programs in the community. Information that eame back to us surprised myself, as well as Judy Inouye (my partner throughout this effort). There are no known foundations or clubs (in Hawai'i) that have scholarship programs that include guidelines to give more monies to students attending programs such as the one at Space Camp. Maybe they feel that these programs are frivolous. More likely, these programs were never considered because they are a new breed of activities emerging for motivated young people. Somehow, I feel that my students (as well as myself since I too cannot afford another trip) should be considered when these organizations evaluate candidates for their scholarship programs. Ka Wai Ola O OHA has been a powerful ally in our fight to get our program recognition in the community. Many people have told me of the article and how proud they were of our students who were going to Space Camp. They have even asked how their children could be part of our trip. This year we are increasing our number to 60 students and 20 teachers. All of these people deserve the opportunity to cut their costs wherever possible. If you ean help us by using this letter to convince some organization to reconsider (aiding financially) some of our students (and myself), then Hawai'i would prosper, and our Hawaiians would prosper. Think of how many of these students could be future scientists and astronauts after being motivated by this program. Mahalo, David Donn Maika'i Hana'ike Science Teacher, Kawananakoa Intermediate School