News Releases from Department of Health

By Carrie Mardorf, Chief of Cultural Resources, Kalaupapa National Historical Park Kalaupapa National Historical Park recently completed a major project to conserve precious, historic artifacts that tell the story about life in Kalaupapa Settlement. The project, funded by Pacific Historic Parks, was the first of its kind at Kalaupapa to mitigate the environmental effects on […]

Nearly 550 individuals with developmental disabilities and their families from across the state recently gathered together at the Hawaii State Capitol to celebrate their abilities and to meet with their legislators. It was part of the annual Day at the Capitol event, coordinated by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities in partnership with the Hilopa`a […]

A national survey of high school students conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 10.5% of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders reported having been forced into sexual intercourse at some point in their lifetime. This was the third highest demographic in the nation, underscoring the need for early prevention efforts in Hawaii. Sexual […]

This week, Director Ginny Pressler spoke about her vision for the Hawaii Department of Health with Sen. Josh Green on his program “Healthcare in Hawaii.” The one-hour program is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV-2cZXkOsY&feature=youtu.be.  During the program Dr. Pressler discusses her decision to accept an appointment as director, her focus on systems change and prevention, her anticipation […]

Kamaaina who have grown up in Hawaii, especially those in rural Oahu and the neighbor islands, know that commercial sugar plantations and cane burning have been a part of our island culture since the 1840s. Suburban and urban growth in Hawaii have put residential developments in close proximity to sugar cane fields. This has resulted […]

Taking care of those without a home is a growing challenge.  It is estimated that for every 100,000 residents in Hawaii, about 45 are homeless. Those who are chronically homeless often have mental health disorders and/or struggle with substance abuse. This makes these individuals especially vulnerable and in need of support. While others may look upon […]

The Hawaii State Department of Health’s Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response (HEER) Office team continues to work closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to oversee the cleanup of a 44,000-gallon jet fuel release from a tank farm facility near Sand Island that occurred in January, 2015. According to Keith Kawaoka, deputy director of […]

Evidence shows that caring for moms during their pregnancy and for their keiki during their first few years of life, especially those with low incomes, helps improve the health of both the moms and their children, prevents child abuse and neglect, encourages positive parenting, promotes child development and enhances school-readiness. That’s why the federal government […]

In Hawaii, one person commits suicide every two days. In fact, data collected from 2009 to 2013 shows suicide was the most common cause of fatal injuries among Hawaii residents, accounting for over one-quarter of all fatal injuries. The Hawaii Department of Health is taking action to empower professionals and the general public to prevent […]

Hawaii youth who have experienced trauma and need mental health and other services but may have difficulty accessing  care from traditional sources now have an easier way to receive the help they need. Friends of Children’s Mental Health, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides another way for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division (CAMHD) of […]

Hawaii has the highest percentage of top-rated long-term care facilities in the nation, according to the U.S. Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), despite the federal agency’s increased stringent standards and a recently revised rating system. According to CMS’s website Nursing Home Compare, 18 of Hawaii’s 46 nursing homes, or 39 percent, received five […]

As an advocate for the health of Hawaii’s people, the Hawaii State Department of Health is always seeking ways to improve the safe delivery of care. That is why the Department of Health strongly supports an administration bill currently in the legislature that seeks to expand the department’s authority to conduct thorough background checks on […]

Hawaii residents can now track the real-time status of their online orders for birth certificates and marriage/civil union certificates. The Department of Health’s Office of Health Status Monitoring launched the improved online ordering and tracking system last week. The website address is https://vitrec.ehawaii.gov. “The Hawaii Department of Health issues nearly 300,000 certified copies of birth, […]

Offering healthier food choices is good business. That’s the experience of blind vendors of the Choose Healthy Now program, a pilot project in six state and federal government vending sites on Oahu. Choose Healthy Now helps employees identify healthy, moderately healthy, or unhealthy snacks and drinks by labeling them with green, yellow and red stickers […]