News Releases from Department of Health

(Watch a video about the Hawaii State Hospital at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkNFtpi8ZDI) The Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe, which for more than a decade has been challenged with overcrowded patient conditions, an ever-increasing number of high-risk patients, and concerns about employee safety, now has a solution to address these issues. The Hawaii State Department of Health has ...
Read More Hawaii State Hospital Announces Updated Master Plan

From the time Alvin C. Bronstein, MD, FACEP joined the Hawaii State Department of Health as the new chief of the Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch on Aug. 31, he has been fully immersed in carrying on the branch’s goal of reducing trauma-related deaths, injuries, and permanent long-term disability and improving trauma ...
Read More New EMS Chief: Dr. Alvin C. Bronstein

More than one in two Hawaii adults are currently overweight or obese, and one in five is living with at least one chronic disease or condition, such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer.  That’s sobering news. The good news? Physically active adults are healthier and less likely to become obese or develop chronic diseases than ...
Read More Hawaii Adults Can “Step It Up!” By Taking More Walks

Last week, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance released a report titled, “50 States of Teal: Ovarian Cancer Care across America” in which U.S. states were measured on 10 metrics across the continuum of care for ovarian cancer patients, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment and end-of-life care.  Hawaii scored a 6 out of 10 in the report, ...
Read More Department of Health Clarifies Ovarian Cancer Care Report

  “My philosophy is to help individuals and families reconnect with their sense of place and culture in order to reconnect with health.  In working with communities, we work towards strengthening their voice.  How we strengthen their voice is through listening before we respond.”  Joan Takamori   When Joan Takamori talks, people listen.  Joan is ...
Read More Emerging Public Health Nursing Leadership to Nurture Healthy Communities in Hawaii

There is good news and not-so-good news about substance abuse in our islands, according to the 2015 Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services Report, which was recently published by Hawaii Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. First the good news: Over the past five years, more than half of the adults and adolescents who ...
Read More Drug Treatment Programs are Keeping Adult and Adolescents Off Drugs, But Meth Use Among Older Adults Rising