Thursday, 17 October 2002 This information supplements handouts in members packets. 1. Welcome and Introductions Beth Giesting, executive director of the Hawaii Primary Care Association, opened the meeting at 10:15 AM and welcomed the seventeen attendees. 2. Announcements a. Our new four-year grant started 1 June 2002 with two new local projects in Kahuku and on Kauai. We are required to get matching funds and HMSA Foundation, Hawaii Community Foundation, Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, and Verizon Foundation have responded favorably to our proposals for specific activities. We will continue to seek additional funding sources. b. The Application Simplification Workgroup completed its task and the new Med-QUEST application is circulating. More details are provided in the update handout. c. We completed two major outreach campaigns: Immigrant Outreach Campaign in July and "Get Teens Covered by Health Insurance" in August. We are waiting for Med-QUEST enrollment data to determine our success. 3. Services and Programs for Native Hawaiian Children a. Eric Enos: Cultural Learning Center at Kaala The project teaches Native Hawaiian values, culture, and agricultural practices through hands-on educational programs, reforestation projects, cultural exchanges, and educational tours. Programs include lectures, demonstrations, teacher training, taro planting, lauhala weaving, poi pounding classes, traditional fishing techniques, survival skills workshops, science learning activities, and volunteerism. The Waianae area youth center acquired leased land for youth development. Native Hawaiian children and adults were displaced from their culture, therefore it was decided to begin by learning the culture and restoring the land and religious sites. The kids started clearing the land by hand and planting kalo. CLCK is currently working with men and women coming out of prison, high school programs, and children as young as fourth graders. The focus is hands-on, not just theory, so results are tangible: completing surveys, writing journals, making presentations, learning values, building work skills, developing a relationship with the land by studying geology, archeology, hydrology, reforestation stream studies, and Hawaii's native plants and their uses, and learning to work with organizations such as the Department of Land & Natural Resources. "Rights mean nothing without responsibility. Ku = rights and Hina = responsibility. You cannot have Hina without Ku and you cannot have Ku without Hina." b. Pat Urieff: Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center QLCC is a social service agency created by Liliuokalani Trust to fulfill the Queen's mission. She had special concern for orphaned and destitute children, including the acceptance of hapa and treatment of diseased children. Courts define orphan as "orphaned by death; one or two parents deceased" and destitute is means the child's parents receive welfare benefits. In 1995, there was a shift to become more involved in communities and the emphasis became collaboration at all levels with the community and other agencies in addition to the Department of Human Services. Services include: * Individual and Family Services: Psycho-Social Assessment, Adoption Study, Ohana Guardianship Study, Incentive Motivation, Case Management, and Advocacy * Counseling: Family, Hooponopono, and Ohana Conferencing * Financial Assistance: Basic Needs, Child Care and Preschool, Post and High Education, Psychiatric and Psychological Assessment and Treatment, Substance Abuse Assessment and Treatment, Transportation, Speech Language Treatment, Tutoring Services, Enrichment Activities, Medical and Dental Services, Recreational Activities, and Legal Services. Each QLCC unit is defined by a geographical area (Ewa, Hilo, Honolulu, Kauai, Ko'olau Poko, Kona, Maui, Molokai, Windward, and Waianae) and their priorities vary according to the community's needs. To make a referral, determine where the child lives and contact the unit. When in doubt, call the administrative offices at 847-1302 because exceptions can be made for services available specific to the child's situation. c. Hardy Spoehr: Papa Ola Lokahi Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems (NHHCS) are unique and address health care issues specific to each island. They are: Hoola Lahui Hawaii (Kauai), Ke Ola Mamo (Oahu), Na Puuwai (Molokai and Lanai), Hui No Ke Ola Pono (Maui), and Hui Malama Ola Na Oiwi (Hawaii). According to the 2000 U. S. Census, there are Native Hawaiians in every state. Two health care systems operate side by side, although sometimes we never see them. The western medical model--a clinical model that incorporates prevention, enabling services and care services (primary, secondary, specialty, and long-term care)--and traditional healing practices. Papa Ola Lokahi uses a canoe as its health model. The six categories to design its health care system are: * Seat 6: steersperson who needs to know where to go. This represents data and information. * Seat 5: support for the steersperson. Traditional healing is the basis of healing legacies. Laau lapaau, lomilomi, hooponopono, represents thousands of years of development and these concepts must be revitalized. * Seats 3 and 4: powerhouse that focuses exclusively on moving the canoe. These are health services and health insurance (three) and disease prevention/health promotion (four). Unfortunately, resources--grants and granting mechanisms--are focused on providing health care services directly, but what if the person could have prevented the illness five years ago through diet, nutrition, and lifestyle? * Seat 2: caller who does the cadence. This is health research and deciding when to focus on specific issues. * Seat 1: stroker, who keeps the pace going. This is health education. You can only go as fast as the community itself is being educated, willing to make changes or to keep to a particular regimen. Therefore, it is crucial that you have educational activity or presence in your health system. * The ama keeps the canoe upright. This is administration that takes care of the financial, secretarial, and everyday tasks. Health care is a right and should be accessible to everyone. Papa Ola Lokahi is requesting the federal government pay 100% for Medicaid and Medicare benefits for Native Hawaiians who access health care through a community health center or NHHCS. Consequently, no state match would be required. This proposal is modeled after similar American Indian and Alaskan Native legislation. Millions of dollars could be used to improve health care for the community such as increasing the FPL limits and enhancing Med-QUEST's benefit package. We must make sure the money we save doesn't simply go back to the state's general funds.