$20 million in federal funds for Native Hawaiian COVID-19 aid

LIHU‘E — The Ho‘ola Lahui teams were busy with pop-up vaccine clinics around the island Saturday.

“We just administered 37 doses of vaccine in Kaumakani before getting here,” said Melody McFarland of the Ho‘ola Lahui team that was greeted by people waiting on their COVID-19 vaccine doses at the pop-up clinic done in partnership with the Hawaiian Congregational Church at the house of worship in Hanapepe.

“We have the three vaccines — Moderna, Pfizer and the Johnson &Johnson — so we can take care of people from 12 years old and older,” said Julia McDonald, who handled the station dispensing the Moderna and Johnson &Johnson doses.

“I’m glad to see the initial patients are the younger people. We also had a team doing vaccines in Kilauea, but we haven’t heard how they did.”

Ho‘ola Lahui is one of the beneficiaries of $20 million in federal funding announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and secured through the efforts of Hawai‘i’s congressional team.

The funding will be distributed to Papa Ola Lokahi ($4.75 million), Ho‘ola Lahui on Kaua‘i ($3 million), Ke Ola Mamo on O‘ahu ($3 million), Na Pu‘uwai on Moloka‘i ($2.5 million), Hui No Ke Ola Pono on Maui ($3.5 million), and Hui Malama Ola Na ‘Oiwi ($3.25 million) on Hawai‘i Island, and is designated to support vaccination efforts, respond to and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and strengthen health-care services for Native Hawaiian families across Hawai‘i.

“This new funding will help more Native Hawaiian families get the health care they need and fight this pandemic,” said Sen. Brian Schatz in the announcement. He is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“As chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, my job is to help deliver federal funding to native communities in Hawai‘i and across the country,” said Schatz.

The funding is scheduled to be distributed through the Health Resources and Services Administration to the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act award recipients, states a release from U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele.

“This announcement comes at a time when COVID-19 cases have risen dramatically throughout the islands, and hospital capacity to deal with those sickened by the virus stretched to the limit,” said U.S. Rep. Ed Case.

Kahele said with Hawai‘i experiencing record-high COVID-19 cases, the funding will provide Native Hawaiian communities with much-needed resources.

“Earlier Friday, Congressman Case and I met with Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, in Hilo, to discuss issues important to Native Hawaiians and their families. Access to quality health care, especially during the pandemic, is crucial. This assistance will certainly help protect our most vulnerable.”

In 2020, the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act award recipients provided service to more than 7,000 patients in Native Hawaiian communities.

This funding, secured in the latest round of American Rescue Plan funding by the Biden-Harris administration, will assist Native Hawaiian communities that experience barriers to accessing health-care services, including geographic isolation that significantly impact overall health, the lawmakers said in a release.