Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 8, 1 August 1996 — Helping to heal a people [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
Helping to heal a people
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by Patrick Johnston /1 nation is built with people. The stronger • and healthier - the T J people, the stronger the nation. OHA's heahh and human services division recognizes this. So also has the state and federal governments and numerous non-profit agencies. In fact health budgets take up an inordinate amount of money at both the state and federal level. With such a proliferation of heahh services already in plaee, when OHA trastees and staff developed a plan for OHA's health division they felt it was important that money not be spent duplicating services already provided by other agencies. Instead, they felt agency cooperation should be emphasized, as well as supporting efforts to improve the present heahh system. As a result, OHA's heahh and human services (HHS) division provides no direct services. īnstead it supports and forms paitnerships with other agencies and organizations that support Hawaiian heahh.
Recently the division has also become extensively involved in promoting traditional healing, and has supported healing workshops across the state. The division also monitors programs whieh have received funding through OHA's Grants. Subsidies and Purchase of Services program to ensure that the stated goals are being met. Similarly, HHS is actively involved in OHA's donation program whieh contributes linaneial support to Hawaiians in need. A large percentage of donation requests are channeled through the division for review and followup. HHS activities also include organizing and participating in conferences and workshops throughout the year. These deal with heakh issues that are of special eoneem to Hawaiians - such as diabetes - or traditional healing techniques such as lomi lomi and la'au lapa'au. HHS has also worked with the Veterans Administration, assisting officials in providing altemative, more culturally sensitive treatment for Hawaiian vets. The division is staffed by acting Health and Human Services Officer Babette Galang, acting HHS Specialist Naniolu Medeiros, and secretary Jennifer Chiwa. Traditional healing OHA's heath and human services division recently has focused significant time, energy, and funding on promoting traditional Hawaiian healing, primarily lā'au lapa'au, lomi lomi and ho'oponopono. "We believe traditional healing is the missing factor in Hawaiian heath," explains Galang. "It plays a big role in the healing process of the Hawaiian people. ... A large component part of traditional healing is spirituality. We have to emphasize that part." The division has supported and continues to back annual lā'au lapa'au gatherings at Lapakahi on the Big Island and recently backed a number of well attended traditional healing workshops at Pālama settlement. The Lapakahi conferences are led by Papa Henry Auwae and members of Kūpuna Lā'au Lapa'au O Hawai'i. Besides perpetuating traditional healing practices, the 1993 conference also marked the beginning of the restoration of the site to its 1895 condition when it served as a center for traditional lā'au lapa'au practices. The Pālama Settlement workshops were conducted by Auwae and lomi lomi master Aunty Margaret Machado. A total of over 400 people attended the free classes. The division also supported workshops conducted by the group continued page 4
Aunty Margaret Machado demonstrates the traditional healing art of lomi lomi at an OHA sponsored workshop at Pālama Settlement.
Health from 1 Kupuna Lā'au Lapa'au of Hawai'i held in June.
Wai'anae Diet k/fany of Haw£iiian health probI 'lems ean be traced to diet. Hawaiians have high rates of heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses in part due to the introduc-
tion of, and easy access to, foods that are high in fats, sugar, and cholesterol. The phenomenon is not unique to Hawaiians but some of attempts to remedy the situation are. After a series of studies of native Hawaiian health were conducted in the 1980s - and the results revealed a people with serious heahh problems - a number of diets were developed that incorporated traditional, low fat Hawaiian foods. The Wai'anae Diet, administered by the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, was one of these diets. Through legislation passed in 1992, OHA's HHS has been supporting the Wai'anae Diet and continues to monitor its program and support changes to help it improve. "Diet is important in disease prevention and the traditional Hawaiian diet ean be effective if the type of food is available and affordable," says Galang. She adds that diet alone will not solve all health problems. OHA has asked program coordinators to include exercise among the diet activities. OHA has also asked program coordinators to followup
on individuals afte'r they are finished to ensure that they are maintaining a relatively healthy lifestyle.
Multiservice Centers Aneeds assessment study eonft ducted in 1989 by the Hui 'Imi Task Force recommended the creation of Multi-Service centers to provide a single point of access to Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian health and human service information and referrals. In response to this OHA, in cooperation with the state and Alu Like, established information and referral centers across the state for Hawaiians to access information and referral for direct services in areas such as employment, educa-
tion, business and social development. The Alu Like Multi-Service eenters, located on Hawai'i, Maui, Moloka'i, and O'ahu, are staffed by an island representative. Island reps assist callers with information about Alu Like projects and other service providers that may provide the no-cost or low-cost services they seek. If no provider exists, they try to help the individual work out the problem for themselves. Assistance needs vary but most are fīnancial. An individual could need money to pay their first month's rent or support for a family member's medical needs. Some people just need direction and don't know who to tum to. Program Support 7he Office of Hawaiian Affairs receives a large number of requests for funding from its Grants, Subsidies and Purchase of Services program. The Health and Human Services Division is asked to review grant requests that relate to the health and human services field and monitor implementation. Organizations that have received OHA grant funding include: • Child and Family Service - funding provided case manage-
ment services and in-school education for Hawaiians; • Hawai'i Island Foodbank — funding provided salaries and travel costs for a national conferenee for native Hawaiian staff; • Maui AIDS Foundation - funding provided youth support groups for Hawaiian teenage boys and girls on Moloka'i and Hāna Maui; • The Lunalilo Home - funding provided 24-hour care for poor, destitute and infirm elderly residents of Hawaiian ancestry. Donations Demand for funding from OHA's donations program has exploded in the past year and a large percentage of the requests fall under the health and human services category. Such requests - generally for medical expenses — must be reviewed by HHS staff before they ean be approved. Galang explains that, "A kupuna on a fixed ineome might have a stroke and, even with medical insurance, might end up with a bill of $50,000. They are devastated and they can't qualify for welfare because they own a house and car." After a review of such a case, the kupuna might be eligible for a continued page 12
"We believe traditional healing is the missing factor in Hawaiian heath," - Babette Galang. Acting health and human services division officer
Papa Henry Auwae gives a lā'au lapa'au presentation at Pālama Settlement.
Health
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the kupuna might be eligible for a one-time donation from the program. The assessment process — involving checking birth and Hnaneial records - is time consuming. Presently one HHS staff devotes virtually all her time to donations-related work.
Papa Ola Lōkahi OHA's HHS officer is one of 10 agency representatives that sit on the board of Papa Ola Lōkahi, a consortium of public and private non-profit agencies and organizations working to improve the heahh status of Hawaiians. Other board members the five Native Hawaiian Health Care systems, E Ola Mau, UH-Mānoa, Alu Like, and the Department of Heahh.) The board meets monthly to discuss activities and strategies for improving heahh services for Hawaiians. Conferences and workshops HHS staff play a key role planning and participating in conferences throughout the year. Some of these conferences have included: The American Public Heahh Association (APHA) annual meeting held in San Diego, Califomia. During this meeting, the American Indian Alaska Native Caucus, whose purpose is to influence APHA policies and procedures, officially included native Hawaiians in their caucus. The 3rd International Conference on Diabetes and Indigenous People held in Winnipeg, Canada. Last year, OHA helped with the planning and sponsoring of the conference. Division staff also coordinated a lā'au lapa'au workshop, the only indigenous workshop of its kind. Political advocacy At the county and state levels, the division advocates in the areas of health and human services by testifying and otherwise participating in legislative eouneil hearings and at community meetings. The division also tracks issues concerning health and human services for indigenous people on a national level.