Native Hawaiian Health Care Program

Office Information

The Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-579) authorized the establishment of health promotion, disease prevention and primary care services for Native Hawaiians or persons of Hawaiian ancestry. Organizing activities within Papa Ola Lokahi, the coordinating agency, began in September 1989 and continued throughout 1990. Service delivery grants to the five Native Hawaiian organizations, which serve nine islands, were awarded in fiscal year 1992. The Law was amended in 1992 under Public Law 102-396. 



Native Hawaiians suffer from the same diseases that cause death and illness among other U.S. residents, but they are more acutely affected and have more behavioral related illnesses. For example, breast cancer mortality rates are the worst in the nation among Native Hawaiian women, and full and part Hawaiians have the highest rate of "years of productive life lost" in the State and the shortest life expectancy. Full and part Hawaiians have the highest rates of chronic obstructive lung disease, the highest infant mortality rate, the highest accident rate, suicide rate, blood pressure rates, new cases of HIV, and prevalence toward obesity in the State of Hawaii.

The mission of the Native Hawaiian Health Care Program is to improve the health status of Native Hawaiians by advocating, initiating, and maintaining culturally appropriate strategic actions aimed at improving the physical, mental, and spiritual health of Native Hawaiians. Native Hawaiians are defined as those peoples with historical continuity to the original inhabitants of the Hawaiian archipelago whose society was organized as a Nation prior to the arrival of the first non-indigenous people in 1778.



The Native Hawaiian Health Care Act supports three related parts:

• Papa Ola Lokahi, is the coordinating and collaborating agency, which works with five Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems to certify them, plan with them, provide training and technical assistance, support research activities, serve as a clearing house for data and information, support the development of special projects of cultural significance, and to assist with the needs assessment for the Native Hawaiian scholarship program.

• Grants to five community based health systems provide a full range of services tailored to fit the needs of their respective island communities. They provide access to services such as eligibility assistance; client emergency assistance; enabling services, such as transportation and referrals, health care and risk screenings; information and support groups and counseling, and health education classes to the populations from seven islands.

• The Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program provides financial support for Native Hawaiian students pursuing careers in selected health professions. The program's goals are to increase the number of Native Hawaiians in health professions and to improve the availability of primary and preventive care services to Native Hawaiians in the State of Hawaii. For more information regarding the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program, please refer to the 2003-2004 School Year Applicant Information Bulletin. It is available for download in Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) format as well as Plain Text (.TXT) format. You will need the free Acrobat Reader to view and print the PDF.
  

More than 50,500 Native Hawaiians have been enrolled into the systems since 1992 and over 31,000 health behavior appraisals have been completed. Over 17,930 clients have been referred to primary care systems and were case managed by outreach workers and 13,000 have been assisted in insurance coverage. Over 4,100 diabetics have received health education and work plans; 3,120 have been screened for breast/cervical cancer and 2900 for prostate cancer; 26,406 have been case managed and educated for alcohol abuse reduction, stress management, eating disorders, or smoking; over 800 children have been referred for immunizations, and 46,169 have been screened for blood pressure between FY 1992-FY 1999.



(Through the consolidated health centers appropriation)

FY 1997 $3.0 million	FY 2000 $5.0 million
FY 1998 $3.1 million	FY 2001 $6.25 million
FY 1999 $3.4 million

The primary challenge is to integrate the services provided by the Native Hawaiian health system with those of other providers of primary health care services: to help the systems become more self-sustaining; to show improved outcomes; to improve the quality of services; and to chart a course beyond the end of the legislation in the year 2001.



Native Hawaiian Health Care Program
Division of Programs for Special Populations
Bureau of Primary Health Care
4350 East-West Highway, 9th Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814
301/594-4476
301/594-2470 FAX

Related Primary Care References

Last revised 06/08/2001