Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 7, 1 July 1989 — Hawaiians needed in health fields [ARTICLE]

Hawaiians needed in health fields

by Dr. Kamuela Apuna U.H. School of Puhlie Health

There is a need for Hawaiians educated in the health fields. Although the news media continues to announee the need for physicians and nurses, little is said or known about the laek of meelieal supporting roles. They are the graduates of the School of Public Health, educated in the fields of health services administration and planning, maternal and child health, public health education, biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, public health nutrition and international health. An exampīe of the laek of Hawaiian health practitioners: last year the Veterans Administration opened four health clinics and Viet Nam Veterans Centers on the neighbor islands. After an island-wide search for loeal talent, most of the medical and health technicians were hired from the mainland. The Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of 1988, whieh was signed into law in October 1988, includes provisions to open and operate nine clinics throughout Hawai'i, to serve Hawaiians. This act stipulates that preference shaD be given to Hawaiian health centers and Hawaiian organizations involved in health promotion and providing health services to Hawaiians. The act defines a Hawaiian health center as an entity whieh besides other requirements, will have Hawaiian health practitioners who will significantly participate in the planning, management, monitoring and evaluation of health services. Under present conditions this could not happen because of the small number of qualified Hawaiian health practitioners available. In order to fulfill the requirements of the act, Hawaiians must be educated in larger numbers in the health sciences. There will be a need to staff nine Hawaiian Health Centers due to be started in 1991 and be in full operations by 1993 with qualified Hawaiians.

There is an immediate need to identify and encourage Hawaiians who have their undergraduate degrees and are interested in assisting in the improvement of the health conditions of our fellow Hawaiians. These Hawaiians must start their graduate level education, now, so as to prepare themselves to meet the projected demand for Hawaiian health practitioners. Those interested in entering the School of Public Health should contact Dr. Kamuela Apuna, at 948-8604, or Manny Cantorna, 948-6234, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.