Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are trusted members in the community and are well-equipped to address the unique needs of their populations by providing culturally responsive interventions and campaigns. As such, they have played an integral role in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grant Background
In Hawai‘i, they provide essential education and resources to underserved and hard to reach communities. Many of these communities include racial and ethnic minorities that are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos experience the highest rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths relative to their population size in the state. They experience systemic inequities that contribute to health disparities that then drive the COVID-19 disparities we’ve observed.
In response to this, FQHCs and many local CBOs have expanded their efforts to ensure their communities are not only vaccinated but also up to date and educated on the latest COVID-19 news and messaging. Many have developed educational materials in the languages and dialects of their community members and utilize various forms of media to effectively reach their target audience. They organize and participate in community events that are attended by many local families where they deliver important COVID-19 messaging using methods they know are effective to their community.
To continue the important service that CBOs and FQHCs provide, 11 CBOs and seven FQHCs have been awarded funds from the Community Engagement for Health Equity in COVID-19 Prevention and Mitigation Project. The funds will allow them to ensure their communities are fully equipped as the pandemic evolves.
Goal
HIPHI strives to provide support to CBOs that need COVID tests, PPEs, and connection to resources. It is our hope that these community organizations continue to flourish, sustain, and support each other through this pandemic and for our communities’ public health needs.
Awarded Community-Based Organizations:
Please click on the Community-Based Organization you would like to learn more about.
Big Island Docs, formerly East Hawaiʻi Independent Physicians Association, was incorporated in 1994 as a non-profit physician organization. It is a physician-driven independent practice association formed to improve the practice of medicine and healthcare delivery on Hawai‘i Island (Big Island). They maintain a membership of over 60 physicians on Hawaiʻi Island, members include: primary care providers, specialty providers, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), Doctors of Osteopathy (DOs), and Naturopathic Physicians (NDs).
Their mission is to give the Hawaiʻi Island community access to comprehensive quality care that is compassionate, patient-centric, and cost-effective by empowering private sector healthcare systems.
As part of the CBO grant, Big Island Docs administers COVID-19 tests, provides COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, and distributes over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits. They have also worked to increase the number of licensed COVID-19 vaccine providers on Hawaiʻi Island.
FilCom CARES is a project that was established in November 2020. They strive to address the significant impact of COVID-19 by providing on-going outreach, education, resources, and vaccination & testing opportunities to Filipino communities across the state of Hawaiʻi.
Their mission is to grow a stronger and healthier Filipino community in Hawaiʻi through collaborative partnerships. Important values are: bayanihan – working together for a common goal, lakas – the power of strength in togetherness, and kapwa – a shared sense of humanity.
As part of the CBO grant, FilCom CARES organizes and supports vaccination clinics across the state, provides COVID-19 resources and educational materials translated into Ilokano and Tagalog, hosts weekly radio programs, and maintains partnerships with numerous other entities.
Established in 1992, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaiʻi (HMHB) is a local non-profit agency that is part of a network of organizations and individuals committed to improving Hawai‘i’s maternal, child, and family health through collaborative efforts in programs, public education, advocacy, and partner development. Programs they provide include: Hawaiʻi Cribs for Kids, Mana Mama, Piko Pals, Māna ‘Ai, mental health counseling, lactation consultations, and more.
Values of the organization include: a child’s right to be born healthy and raised in a safe nurturing environment, equal access to quality care, a collective voice to facilitate change, to eliminate health disparities among all populations, cultural competence and respect for diversity, and provide education to encourage health choices.
As part of the CBO grant, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies provides COVID-19 education, vaccinations, and testing to families throughout the state. They are also able to provide these services for those who are homebound via a mobile clinic.
Founded in March 1965, Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity, Inc. (KEO) began as a local community action program under the support of the Office of Economic Opportunity. It is now a multi-purpose non-profit agency with many funding sources. Services they provide include: shelter, emergency food, employment services, early childhood education, clothing, financial assistance and much more.
KEO seeks to alleviate the conditions of poverty by identifying and assisting in meeting the needs of low-income and economically disadvantaged people in the County of Kauaʻi to attain social and economic self-sufficiency. They are dedicated to helping people to help themselves and each other.
As part of the CBO grant, KEO provides support to their community in matters that are related to COVID-19 including education and the distribution of over-the-counter test kits.
Established in 2019, the Marshallese Community Organization of Hawai‘i (MCOH) operates statewide. Their mission is to provide a centralized place for support within the Marshallese community and other Compacts of Free Association (COFA) communities throughout the state of Hawai’i.
As part of the CBO grant, they provide vaccinations, outreach, and education to the community in various languages, including Marshallese. MCOH also provides significant support for other CBOs during vaccination and testing events. It has partnered extensively with local churches and other CBOs throughout the state.
‘Ōiwi TV is a broadcast initiative with digital and cable platforms by creating and disseminating Hawaiian language and culture content through producing top-quality documentaries, news, and multimedia content from a uniquely Hawaiian perspective. They are on Spectrum channel 326 and online at oiwi.tv – these platforms serve as home to the production’s original content and as a community hub for information, collaboration, and engagement.
‘Ōiwi TV aspires to revitalize and affirm a positive native Hawaiian worldview & work to create a new narrative of the modern Hawaiian experience. Their mission is to leverage the power of media to create meaningful impact and experiences for Hawaiians, Hawai’i, and the rest of the world.
As part of the CBO grant, ‘Ōiwi TV creates many forms of educational materials relating to COVID-19 including: support for kupuna, vaccine education, and materials appropriate for keiki. They also provide in-person support and educational outreach during COVID-19 vaccine and testing events.
Beginning in 1997, Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) draws on ‘ike kūpuna, ancestral wisdom and knowledge, to meet the current challenges facing Hawai‘i. They serve the needs of young keiki, their caregivers, and economically vulnerable youth and families in the Hawaiian community to overcome systematic disparities and historical trauma. They provide many different types of multigenerational education, social services, and island resilience programs.
Their mission is to inspire and equip families and communities for success and service using timeless Native Hawaiian values and traditions.
As part of the CBO grant, PIDF participates in COVID-19 testing and vaccination outreach events throughout the state. During these events, they provide education and distribute over-the-counter test kits to those who need them.
Pear Suite is a member activation platform that transforms social determinants of health data into actionable solutions and enables culturally sensitive care navigation. They work with health systems & providers, health plans, and community-based organizations to contribute to better health outcomes, improve engagement, and reduce healthcare costs.
As part of the CBO grant, Pear Suite conducts telephone outreach in multiple languages to hard to reach populations throughout the state. During this outreach they provide education on COVID-19, vaccination, general welfare, and other social services.
Project Vision Hawai‘i was founded in 2007 and became a non-profit organization in 2011. Project Vision Hawai‘i has the only mobile health screening programs in Hawaiʻi that provide statewide services in communities with significant access-to-care challenges related to income, lack of insurance, geographical location, or cultural conflict. Programs they provide include: COVID-19 response, Better Vision for Keiki, Hawaiʻi Eye Foundation, outreach to the houseless community, and social service enrollment assistance.
As part of the CBO grant, Project Vision provides mobile vaccinations and COVID-19 testing at events throughout the state. Project Vision also provides these services to Hawai’i’s most vulnerable populations such as those who are: houseless, in group homes, in public housing, and in prisons.
We Are Oceania (WAO), is a non-profit public charity serving the Micronesian and Pacific Island communities throughout the state. It is aimed at centralizing the support system for all Micronesian communities, families, and individuals in Hawai‘i.
WAO supports programs in the areas of: capacity-building, community advocacy, social services, educational services, and economic development.
As part of the CBO grant, WAO participates in COVID-19 vaccination and testing outreach events. At the events they provide over-the-counter test kits and vaccination education. WAO also provides this education over many other platforms and in numerous languages.
Click on a logo below to learn more:
Awarded Federally Qualified Health Centers:
Please click on the FQHC you would like to learn more about.
Hāmākua-Kohala Health serves the Big Island of Hawai‘i with community clinics in four locations along the northern coast of the island. The clinics provide accessible, affordable, quality health care and educational services with an emphasis on individual and community wellness. Through this grant, Hāmākua-Kohala Health will update their website to include other languages and make the information ADA accessible. They will also continue to provide vaccination and testing to the communities they serve.
Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services (KKV) serves the richly diverse community of Kalihi in the City of Honolulu. KKV is the nation’s only community health center to have a 100-acre nature preserve as a site for healing. Guided by a holistic approach to health, they provide primary care services and an array of community and cultural programs that connect people to family, culture, community, and land. This grant will continue to support its Kalihi community with outreach and provide indigenous healing and plant medicine.
Ko‘olauloa Health Center serves the Kahuku area on the northeast shore of O‘ahu, working hard to ensure health services to those living in rural areas. The clinic provides medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy services, care coordination, education outreach, and eligibility services. This grant provides Ko‘olauloa Health Center support to continue COVID-19 vaccination and testing in their community.
Lāna‘i Community Health Center (LCHC) serves the entire island of Lāna‘i aiming to be a leader in innovative healthcare, with a focused culturally sensitive, holistic, patient-centered approach. LCHC has a focus on physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual welfare and works to enrich and empower lives to help build healthy families in a supportive environment. In this grant, LCHC will provide COVID-19 outreach through vaccination, testing, and also promotion, utilizing its community ambassadors and tailored messages.
Wahiawā Health Center (Wahiawā Health) serves the central O‘ahu area which consists of Wahiawā, Waialua, Mililani, and Kunia. Wahiawā Health provides access to affordable, quality health care and wellness services to promote a healthy community. This grant enhances Wahiawā Health’s prevention approach through expansion of their education, communication, and outreach strategies.
Waimānalo Health Center serves the Waimānalo area, located on the east of O‘ahu. Values at Waimānalo Health Center promote Hawaiian-centered diversity, equity, and inclusion by welcoming all members of the Koʻolaupoko community to access holistic services ranging from traditional Hawaiian healing practices to Western medicine. This grant will support their efforts in outreach, lomilomi, and la‘au lapa’au kako‘o to deliver services in primary care.
Hawai‘i Island Community Health Center (HICHC) serves the east side of Hawai‘i Island in Hilo, Kea’au, Pāhoa, and Ka‘ū and west side of Hawai‘i Island with four locations in Waikōloa, Kealakehe, Kailua-Kona, and Kealakekua. The health center promotes lifelong health and wellness through quality healthcare that is comprehensive, integrated, culturally responsive, and accessible to all. This grant allows HICHC to continue its outreach, COVID-19 vaccination and testing, and health education.
Click on a logo below to learn more:
Photos From Outreach
All Him Productions
All Him Productions, LLC is a local organization that has been in operation for over 25 years. They offer educational outreach to marginalized communities using cultural engagement strategies including comedy and aloha. They have supported and assisted with COVID-19 outreach statewide since August 2021 and currently provides support statewide.