Department of Native Hawaiian Health of JABSOM Turns 10

Department of Native Hawaiian Health of JABSOM Turns 10

JABSOM’s Department of Native Hawaiian Health, serving our community for 10 years.
for more information on OHA, visit: http://www.oha.org 
for more information on the Department of Hawaiian Health, visit: http://www3.jabsom.hawaii.edu/dnhh

ʻO kekahi ʻoihana JABSOM, ʻo ia nō ka Department of Native Hawaiian Health, kekahi ʻoihana i lawelawe i nā Hawaiʻi no ʻumi makahiki.

Hoʻokumu ʻia akula ma 2002, hoʻolauleʻa akula ka ʻOihana Native Hawaiian Health ma ka John A. Burns School Of Medicine i kona piha ʻana he 10 makahiki ma ka John A. Burns School of Medicine Medical Education Building.

Wahi a Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokua, Ph.D., ka  Chair o ka Department of Native Hawaiian Health, “He mea nui kēia hanana i kēia pō no ka mea, ua hala ʻumi makahiki mai ka wā i hoʻokumu ʻia ai ua ʻoihana nei.  ʻAʻohe lua e like ai me ia a puni o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa.  Ma muli o kēia, ua hiki iā mākou ke lapaʻau i kekahi o nā maʻi o ka Hawaiʻi.  A ua hiki pū ke paipai i nā Hawaiʻi e komo ma ka ʻoihana ola i mea e kōkua ai i ke kaiaulu Hawaiʻi.  Nui loa ka poʻe e hoʻomaopopo ai no ko lākou kōkua ʻana mai i ka ʻoihana.  Inā ʻaʻole lākou a me kā lākou mau hana, ʻaʻohe ʻoihana hoʻonaʻau a ola hoʻi e kālele ana ma ke ola o ka ʻōiwi Hawaiʻi.”

Mea mai ʻo Dr. Nanette Judd ka Former Director o ʻImi Hoʻōla, “ʻO nā ʻōiwi Hawaiʻi nā kānaka maoli hoʻi o kēia ʻāina.  No ia kumu, he mea nui ko kākou lawelawe ʻana i kēia poʻe.  Ma kā mākou polokalamu ʻo ʻImi Hoʻōla, ua hoʻopuka aku mākou i mau kauka hou  i noho ma ʻaneʻi a i lilo hoʻi i mau alakaʻi ma ke kaiaulu.”

ʻO ka hoʻonaʻauao ʻana i nā kauka Hawaiʻi hou kekahi o nā ala a ia ʻoihana e keʻehi aku nei i mea e hoʻoikaika ai a i mea e hoʻōla ai i ke olakino o kānaka ma nā kaiaulu Hawaiʻi.

ʻŌlelo mai ʻo Kaholokua, “Nui ko mākou kūkulu ʻana i nā pilina ma waena o nā hoa kaiaulu a me kēia ʻoihana nei.  Inā ʻaʻole ke kaiulu, ʻaʻole mākou.  Nui nā pilina o mākou me nā ʻoihana Hawaiʻi nui.”

Wahi a Kealoha Fox kekahi ʻelele o ke Keʻena Kuleana Hawaiʻi,  “Ua like ko mākou mau pahuhopu e hoʻolana aʻe i nā kaiaulu Hawaiʻi i luna.  Helu ʻekahi kā lākou hana.”

“Ua ulu ka hoi i loko oʻu e ʻike i nā mea hou a me nā pilina hou e kupu mai ana. No ka mea, ua like ko mākou nuʻukia, e hoʻoikaika a e hoʻōla i ka lāhui Hawaiʻi,” ka ʻōlelo a Dr. Gerard Akaka ke Poʻo o ka Native Hawaiian Health, ma ka Haukapila ʻo Queens.

Established in 2002 the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the John A. Burns School Of Medicine recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

According to Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokua, Ph.D., the Chair of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health,  “Tonight’s event is a significant event for us because (this is) our ten year anniversary this year that we been in existence, and that’s pretty remarkable considering that you know, were the only clinical medical department in a US medical school dedicated to indigenous health.  Because of that, it’s allowed us to do unique things, in addressing health disparities experienced by native Hawaiians. Getting more native Hawaiians into the health profession to build diversity in the medical profession as well as to address the health care needs of our Hawaiian community.  There is so much people to recognize that really help to get the department started where it is today.  Because of those peoples efforts, we were able to eventually get to the point where we now we can have a academic entity uh organization dedicated to Native Hawaiian health.”

Dr. Nanette Judd who is the Former Director of ʻImi Hoʻōla, “Native Hawaiian people are the indigenous people of here, here in Hawaiʻi, and it is important that we address the needs and that we highlight these people and we provide avenues that help them navigate, into education.  Through our ʻImi Hoʻōla Program, we’ve produced more native Hawaiian physicians; many of them practice here in Hawaiʻi and are currently leaders in our community.”

Training more Hawaiian doctors is just one way the Department is strengthening the Native Hawaiian health community.

Kaholokula the Chair of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health says, “We really focus heavily on building our community partnerships and really we cant do anything we do without strong community partnerships.  We have partnerships with most major native Hawaiian organizations throughout the state.”

According to Kealoha Fox Office of Hawaiian Affairs, “The department is really um completely aligned in how we uh continue to collaborate to be partners um to be agents of advocacy together to create the systemic change across all of our islands for Native Hawaiians, the work that their doing here is really phenomenal.”

“I’m just uh curious and excited to see what’s around the corner, in terms of partnership because you know, we all share the same vision, to improve the wellbeing of our people.  I think we got chance to make a difference,” says Dr. Gerard Akaka, the Medical Director of Native Hawaiian Health at Queens Hospital.

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