LIHUE — As part of Children’s Mental Health Day on Kauai and nationally, a keiki mental health day gathering was held near the Historic County Building Thursday afternoon.
Six nonprofit individuals, four county employees, four state employees, and special guest Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami, stopped by.
Some of the employees held signs along Rice Street in the perfect weather, expressing their support for local child mental health service available on Kauai to the traffic that buzzed steadily by.
Kawakami brought a proclamation declaring May 9 as “Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day in the County of Kauai” and presented it to Kauai Family Guidance Center Chief Madeleine Hiraga-Nuccio. The Child &Adolescent Mental Health Division is a state-run agency with a local office.
Hiraga-Nuccio added that some of the common problems that are facing area youth deal with depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorder.
She was there to show her support for children’s mental health and to inform the public that there are local treatments and options available to combat this problem that is estimated to affect one in five children.
Hiraga-Nuccio was joined by her colleague and clinical psychologist Punani Hee, who also works at the Kauai Family Guidance Center and treats local youth afflicted with mental health issues.
She pointed out that anyone who may be afflicted with children’s mental health issues can reach the Kauai Family Guidance Center at 274-3883 or by visiting the location, 3059 Umi Street, Room A014 in Lihue.
Hiraga-Nuccio said the event is an annual occurrence meant to raise awareness for children’s mental health and the services that are available.
The guidance center is part of the statewide Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division of the State of Hawaii, Department of Health.
“We do assessments, give them treatment through various agencies and work with the schools, psychologists and get them medication if they need it, just work with the families,” Secretary for the Kauai Family Guidance Center, Lucinda Mederios, said of the services the center provides.
Mederios added that one of the problems on Kauai is the lack of licensed doctors.
“They’re the that prescribe the medication, so what we have done is partnered with the University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine,” Mederios said. “We have doctors that fly over and do a clinic and we also let them intern in our clinic for fellowships and the residents come for a month to see if it is something that they would be into.”
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Ryan Collins, county reporter, can be reached at 245-0424 or rcollins@thegardenisland.com.
