The East Honolulu public health nurses recently marched in the 2015 Kaimuki Christmas parade and cheerfully gave out toothbrushes instead of candy. The toothbrushes were donated by the department’s Planning Office and Family Health Services Division Hawaii Smiles Project. The community appreciated the healthy gift and the reminder that dental health is a critical component ...
Read More Public Health Nurses March in Christmas Parade
Ola Lokahi
(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
Belinda Danielson, Crisis Line Supervisor, shared details about the program with KITV morning news show anchor Lara Yamada. In Hawaii, suicide is the most common cause of fatal injuries among residents, outpacing car crashes, homicide, poisoning and drowning. It is estimated that one suicide is committed every two days in Hawaii. In fact, about 20 ...
Read More Hawaii State Department of Health Launches New Crisis Line “Warm Line” Dedicated to Suicide Prevention in Hawaii
First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige congratulates the vendors in the Ho‘opono Business Enterprise Program for their participation in the Choose Healthy Now program It’s usually easy to find unhealthy snacks during your workday. But do you and your colleagues have access to healthy options? The Choose Healthy Now program just celebrated its one-year anniversary and is ...
Read More Healthier Snacks for Government Employees: First Lady Dawn Ige Helps Expand the Choose Healthy Now Program
ThinkTech Hawaii TV Show ThinkTech Hawaii host Jay Fidell recently invited guests Peter Whiticar and Keith Ridley for a show dedicated to medical marijuana, taped before the bill became law. To view the show, click on the following YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6RXtea39OA On July 15, 2015, medical marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii became legal. Hawaii became ...
Read More Hawaii State Department of Health Now Developing Guidelines to Govern Practices of Hawaii’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
People in Hawaii with behavioral health disorders are disproportionately burdened by the harmful effects of smoking and tobacco use. In collaboration with the University of California San Francisco, Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC), the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Adult Mental Health Division (AMHD) is addressing this issue and is holding free, all-day workshops titled, ...
Read More Adult Mental Health Division Addresses Smoking and Tobacco Use
One in five Hawaii residents will have a stroke during his or her lifetime. In fact, stroke is the third leading cause of death in our state and the number one cause of chronic adult disability. Of people under age 65, only 20% are able to return to full time employment after a stroke and ...
Read More Hawaii Department of Health Grant Funds Telemedicine Program to Improve Access to Care for Stroke Victims
Contributed by: Joan A. Takamori, APRN, Chief of Public Health Nursing Branch (In honor of Nurses Day celebrated on May 6) ”One can do more good for humanity by working among the people district nurses do, and naturally like to work among that class of people.” Mabel Leilani Smyth 1892-1936 Public Health Nursing is ...
Read More Learning From Our Past to Shape Our Future Florence Nightingale of Hawaii, Mabel Leilani Smyth
When Adele Ching, Coordinator for the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP Hawaii) Program in the Executive Office on Aging, an agency of the Hawaii State Department of Health received the department’s newly adopted Nutrition Wellness Policy, she immediately took it to heart. In planning the Volunteers Training and Recognition Conference on May 15, 2015, Adele worked ...
Read More Hawaii State Department of Health: Eating and Leading by Example
Every day, the Hawaii State Hospital team of healthcare professionals delivers valuable mental health services for those who are often shunned by others. They provide care and treatment services to patients with medically complex conditions, including chronic schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders and bipolar disorder. Services include psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, relaxation techniques and cognitive therapy, dog training and ...
Read More Hawaii State Hospital Poised to Expand and Revitalize Mental Health Services
Hawaii has the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation, and the leading causes of liver cancer in Hawaii are hepatitis B and C. According to DOH, about 50,000 people in Hawaii may be living with hepatitis B and C, and most are unaware of their infection. That means many people are not accessing ...
Read More DOH and Hep. Free Hawaii launch local campaign to increase hepatitis awareness
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 ...
Read More Kalaupapa Conserves Significant Museum Objects
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 ...
Read More State Council on Developmental Disabilities Day at the Capitol Event Celebrates the Abilities of People with Developmental Disabilities March 12, 2015
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 ...
Read More Hawaii Department of Health Raises Awareness about Sexual Assault
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 ...
Read More “Hawaii: The State of Health” Features Department of Health Experts Live Streamed on ThinkTechHawaii.com