ADVANCE RELEASE: EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:00 AM, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2019 Contacts: Cat Howland Hawai‘i Community Foundation 808-260-5001 chowland@hcf-hawaii.org
Legislators, Nonprofits and Business Leaders Bring More Services to Homeless on Windward Side of ‘Oahu Honolulu, HI – The new Kāne‘ohe Joint Outreach Center (JOC) medical clinic was blessed today in an opening ceremony to prepare the site for an official open house on Saturday, August 17th. The open house will allow members of the community to learn about how the clinic will respond to healthcare needs of the homeless, provide case management, and link patients to drug abuse and mental health treatment. The Windward side of O‘ahu has the second highest number of unsheltered individuals that are part of a family on the island, according to Institute for Human Services. To respond to this need, a new public-private partnership was launched to bring more services--and hope--to the community. This partnership has been led by state legislators, Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, Representative Lisa Kitagawa, Representative Scot Matayoshi to expand the Hawai‘i Homeless Healthcare Hui (H4) to Kāne‘ohe. The growth of H4 will potentially save hospitals millions of dollars--usually incurred when caring for the chronically homeless. Many private sector partners have committed their support and funding through the Hawai‘i Executive Conference (HEC) Health and Wellness Committee. This three-year pilot program aims to be a one-stop center that will ultimately get people, who are in need of stable housing, back on their feet. Kāne‘ohe JOC is modeled after the successful Chinatown JOC and both centers are operated by H4, a homeless services provider for O‘ahu’s chronically homeless population. The partnership is a result of leaders from the Hawai‘i Executive Conference adopting Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s CHANGE Framework, committing to collaborate to help address some of Hawai‘i’s most pressing issues. “Each person or family that is struggling to access stable housing needs a tailored solution to help them overcome their specific obstacles,” said Senator Jarrett Keohokalole. Hospital emergency staff are great at addressing immediate health concerns, but they aren’t set up to offer ongoing care and support—even though the need is great. Kāne‘ohe JOC is going to be able to care for immediate patient needs and provide referrals to services that will improve the patient’s situation overall like continuing treatment or case management for those who need it.”