Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 1989 — Waiʻanae woman gives health talk [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Waiʻanae woman gives health talk

By Kamuela Apuna, PhD UH School of Puhlie Health A Native Hawaiian Wai'anae resident has been invited to present her paper on "Child Abuse and Neglect in Hawai'i" at the 117th Annual Conference of the American Public Health Association (APHA), in Chicago, Oct. 22. The author, Madeline Lani Ehia, a student at the School of Public Health, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, had her paper selected by the American Indian and Alaska Native Caucus of APHA. Her paper includes a demographic profile of major ethnie groups in Hawai'i and how they plaee in regards to populations at highest risk in child abuse and neglect. As the first Native Hawaiian student to appear before APHA, Ehia will be directing people's attention to the substandard health condition of the Hawaiians as well as reporting the pathetic child abuse statistics of Hawai'i. Ehia's national exposure will strengthen the requests of Hawaiians for assistance in addressing the inferior status of their health condition.

Ehia, a single parent with three of her own and two hanai children, is planning to receive her Master's degree in Public Health this December. Although she was a high school drop-out, her determination to improve her education, to be a good example for her children, and her vision of helping Hawaiians on the Wai'anae Coast brought her back to the University campus. She obtained a BA in Business Administration before entering the School of Public Health. She is committed to working in her community, after graduation, and to involving herself in concerns of Native Hawaiian health issues. Ehia is an example of a Native Hawaiian entering the Public Health field, to emerge as a eommunity resource to benefit the Hawaiians. People interested in entering the School of Public Health graduate program may call Manny Cantorna, of the Educational Opportunities Program, 948-6234 or Dr. Apuna at 948-8604.

Lani Ehia