Waianae District Comprehensive Health And Hospital Board

THE HEALTH CENTER PROVIDES ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE MEDICAL AND HEALING SERVICES.

MEDICAL CARE: PRIMARY CARE MEDICAL SERVICES (PEDIATRICS, WOMEN'S, ADULT MEDICINE AND INTERNAL MEDICINE) ARE PROVIDED THROUGH A MAIN CLINIC SITE AND FOUR SATELLITE CLINICS SERVING THE LEEWARD AREA ON THE ISLAND OF OAHU. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE SCHEDULE O.

THE WAIANAE COAST COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CENTER SERVES THE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY OF WAIANAE AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES IN THE WEST OAHU AREA ON THE ISLAND OF OAHU IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1972, THE HEALTH CENTER CELEBRATED IT'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN THE FALL OF 2022. FROM ITS START AS A ONE DOCTOR OFFICE, THE HEALTH CENTER IS THE SECOND LARGEST, AND OLDEST, OF THE FOURTEEN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. THE STRENGTH OF THE HEALTH CENTER LIES IN THE STRONG FOUNDATION SET BY ITS FOUNDERS, THE VISION AND EXPERTISE OF ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE SENSE OF OWNERSHIP BY ITS STAFF, PATIENTS AND COMMUNITY, THE YEARS OF SERVICE AND COMMITMENT OF ITS MANAGEMENT TEAM, AND THE RELATIONSHIPS FORGED AT THE COMMUNITY, STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL. THROUGHOUT THE COVID PANDEMIC, THE HEALTH CENTER'S PRIMARY SERVICE AREA OF THE WAIANAE COAST EXPERIENCED THE HIGHEST COVID+ RATES AND THE LOWEST COVID IMMUNIZATION RATES IN THE STATE. COMMUNITY RELUCTANCE TO ACCEPT VACCINATIONS CONTINUES TO BE A SIGNIFICANT HURDLE THAT REQUIRES A MULTI-PRONG APPROACH OF OUTREACH, MULTI-MEDIA, AND USING CULTURAL LEADERS TO INTERVENE AND EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY.THE POST-PANDEMIC HEALTHCARE DELIVERY PARADIGM HAS MOVED THE HEALTH CENTER TO CONTINUE TO REVAMP/RE-EVALUATE ITS OPERATIONS TO ASCERTAIN THE RIGHT MIX OF TELEHEALTH VS FACE-TO-FACE VISITS TO ACCOMMODATE THIS NEW REALITY.IN 2023, THE HEALTH CENTER SERVED OVER 35,000 PATIENTS, WHICH IS STILL SLIGHTLY BELOW OUR PRE-COVID ANNUAL PATIENT LEVEL. THE MAJORITY OF PATIENTS SERVED ARE NATIVE HAWAIIAN (48%), FOLLOWED BY ASIAN & OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDERS (28%), AND CAUCASIANS (12%). DATA SHOWS 71% OF PATIENTS ARE AT 100% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL OR BELOW 3% ARE UNINSURED, AND 60% ARE RECEIVING COVERAGE UNDER QUEST, THE STATE OF HAWAII'S MEDICAID PROGRAM. THE WAIANAE COAST IS AN ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED COMMUNITY WITH A POPULATION OF 50,000. OVER 20% OF THE POPULATION HAS AN ANNUAL INCOME LESS THAN 100% AND OVER 34% OF WAIANAE COAST HOUSEHOLDS ARE RECEIVING SNAP/CASH OR OTHER FORMS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. THE AVERAGE PER CAPITA INCOME IS VERY LOW AND THE UNEMPLOYED RATE IS HIGH FOR THE WAIANAE RESIDENTS COMPARED TO OTHER REGIONS IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU AND THE STATE OF HAWAII.THE HEALTH STATISTICS OF THE WAIANAE COAST PARALLELS THE ECONOMIC SITUATION IN THE COMMUNITY RELATED TO THE INFANT MORTALITY RATE, BIRTHS TO MOTHERS UNDER AGE 18, OBESITY, ADULTS WHO SMOKE AND DIABETES.THE HEALTH CENTER ACHIEVES ITS MISSION BY NOT ONLY SERVING PATIENTS WHO SEEK SERVICES, BUT ALSO BY INCORPORATING THE GOAL OF IMPROVING THE OVERALL HEALTH STATUS OF THE COMMUNITY IT SERVES. THE VISION OF THE FOUNDERS TO OFFER COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SERVICES HAS GUIDED THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES OF OUR PATIENT CENTERED HEALTH CARE HOME, WHICH INCLUDES PRIMARY CARE CLINICS, SPECIALTY SERVICES, SCHOOL-BASED CENTERS, COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES, HOMELESS OUTREACH, NATIVE HAWAIIAN TRADITIONAL HEALING, NUTRITION AND MORE.THE HEALTH CENTER IS A MAJOR ECONOMIC PROVIDER IN THE COMMUNITY, EMPLOYING OVER 700 INDIVIDUALS, THE MAJORITY OF WHOM RESIDE ON THE WAIANAE COAST. THE HEALTH CENTER IS GOVERNED AND GUIDED BY A BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT INCLUDES UP TO 10 MEMBERS ELECTED FROM THE SERVICE AREA WHO ARE PATIENTS OF THE HEALTH CENTER, AND UP TO 10 MEMBERS APPOINTED FOR EXPERTISE IN BUSINESS, MEDICINE, LAW, OR COMMUNITY AFFAIRS. THE HEALTH CENTER HAS MAINTAINED A POSITIVE FINANCIAL POSITION BY CONTINUOUSLY INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY, DEVELOPING REVENUE GENERATING SERVICES, INITIATING TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND PROMOTING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. RENOVATIONS AND EXPANSION OF THE DENTAL BUILDING AT THE MAIN CENTER EXPERIENCED NUMERSOUS DELAYS DUE TO COVID AND PERMITTING BUT CONSTRUCTION BEGAN DECEMBER 2022 AND WAS COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER 2023. A KEY INITIATIVE FOR THE HEALTH CENTER CONTINUES TO BE DEVELOPING A "PRIMARY CARE HEALTH CARE HOME" THAT FITS THE MODEL OF CARE THAT MEETS THE BROAD HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF OUR PATIENTS. THE HEALTH CENTER CONTINUES TO GROW ITS PARTNERSHIP THROUGH AHARO HAWAII, A VIRTUAL ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANIZATION WHICH CURRENTLY INCLUDES HEALTH CENTERS ON OAHU, MOLOKAI, MAUI AND HAWAII ISLAND WHOSE MISSION IS "PROMOTING ACCESS, QUALITY, AND COST EFFECTIVENESS IN HEALTHCARE BY EMPOWERING CONSUMERS TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF HEALTHCARE AGENCIES THAT SERVE THEM."

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES: TWENTY-FOUR HOUR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE HEALTH CENTER'S MAIN CLINIC SITE ON THE WAIANAE COAST. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE SCHEDULE O.

PHARMACY: THE HEALTH CENTER OPERATES THREE 340B PHARMACIES ON SITE WHICH REDUCES THE BARRIERS FOR PATIENTS WITHOUT DRUG COVERAGE BENEFITS OR HAVING TO MAKE AN ADDITIONAL STOP AT AN OFF-SITE PHARMACY TO PICK UP A PRESCRIPTION. THE PHARMACIES ARE LOCATED AT THE MAIN HEALTH CENTER IN WAIANAE, THE KAPOLEI HEALTH CARE CENTER IN KAPOLEI, AND THE JAMES AND ABIGAL CAMPBELL CLINIC IN NANAKULI. THE HEALTH CENTER HAS A FOURTH PHAMACY LOCATED INSIDE A SUPERMARKET IN WAIANAE.