Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 3, 1 March 1999 — Getting focused and setting priorities [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Getting focused and setting priorities

LET ME share with you my plans for this year. Our primary focus is to resolve the ceded land entitlements, so that we have a steady revenue stream for beneficiaries. The next priorities are to develop a Native Hawaiian Health Plan and to work with DHHL, other agencies and lending instimtions to secure housing for Hawaiians. These goals are ambitious. Nonetheless, I have no doubt we will succeed. In the meantime, I ask for your patience and understanding. Developing and implementing these projects will take time. A Native Hawaiian Health Plan is critical. How many of our kūpuna with fixed incomes cannot afford the dollar amount necessary to access benefits

under Medicaid, foregoing dentures, medication or other necessities? As the first people of these islands, Hawaiians deserve better. To this end, I am forming, and will be heading, the Native Hawaiian Heahh Plan Task Force. Although the task force is in its iniūal stages, I have met with knowledgeable and eoncemed individuals. I am happy to report that we already have some members on board. In addition, we have some legislative support. This will be a cost-sharing health plan, with an substantial inihal infusion of cash from OHA and others. I envision Hawaiians selecting the heahh care practitioners they want, including Native Hawaiian practitioners. I believe that adequate health care is the number one priority facing Hawaiians. The average beneficiary has never accessed trust funds. With our Native Hawaiian Health Plan, all beneliciaries will be able to. How will OHA provide sufficient funds to start our Native Hawaiian Heahh Plan? The answer is simple. We will have

to cut back in other areas. Where ean we cut back? One of our greatest funding areas is grants.

The irony is that we see very little bang for the buck. Grant recipients pay salaries to staff, who provide specialized services. The average beneficiary does not see any of these funds or direct services. We need to downsize our grants programs and namow our scope. We cannot afford to do everything, but we ean and should tackle what matters most to our people, i.e., heahh, housing and education. Ten years ago, OHA did not have a lot of money. We gave funds to service providers to empower them to fulfill mandates. This was partly because we did not have the funds or personnel. In 1993, OHA received $129 million from a state settlement. We gave grants across the board. We hired more staff. People eame to OHA with a big straw and started sucking. In the meantime, the beneficiaries" question, "What are you doing for me?" remains unanswered. It is no longer cost efficient to give so mueh money to so few. Grant recipients have had sufficient time to secure other funding. We have looked at the possibility of block-funding heahh care. However, even if we took a lot of money and divided it up

among existing Native Hawaiian heahh care providers, the actual number of Hawaiians served and benefits received is pitiful, primarily because of administrative costs. So I ask for your support. This downsizing may be unpopular initially, particularly with current recipients. One way to ease the blow may be to prioritize grants and focus on health and housing. Educational grant requests will be referred to the Education Foundation. Grants should provide start-up funds, not a perpetuation of welfare. Hawaiians need to empower Hawaiians. Organizations should find funding other than OHA's. Otherwise we will not be able to fulfill the beneficiaries' greatest needs, the ones that still haunt us — heahh care and housing. We need to emulate Piinee Jonah Kūhiō. We need to take care of ourselves. Giving money away does not aeeomplish that. Your concems and comments are weleome. Mahalo nui loa and aloha pumehana. ■ Editor's note: Trustee Akana 's web address was incorrect as printed last month. The correct address is www.surf.to/rowena-akana.

"I believe that adequate health care is the number one priority facing Hawaiians.

CHAIRPERSON'S MESSAGE

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TRUSTEE MESSAGES

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