Get Fit Kauaʻi
Get Fit Kauaʻi focuses on making healthy choices the easy choices. Through community partnerships, we’re making streets safer for all users, helping farmers markets bring fresh, local, food to more people, creating healthier workplaces and generating new opportunities for kids to walk or bike to school. Community members from all parts of our island are investing their time, and expertise to strengthen well-being on Kauaʻi.
Get Fit Kauai’s Kalena Park Community Action Group with representatives from the Lihue business community, County of Kauaʻi Parks and Recreation Department, County of Kauaʻi Planning Department and Lihue Boys and Girls Club hosted a community work day: a fantastic way to build community support for and ownership of the park. Over 100 volunteers lended their time and energy along with community leaders who were selected for each aspect of the work. Activities included installation of rubber tiles, tree planting, and general park cleanup. Concurrent with the volunteer work, paid artists painted murals on the restroom and the concrete contractors stained the spheres and aloha sign. As a result of the transformation and improvements made to the park, families, seniors, and everyone, felt welcomed in the park.
Hawaiʻi Island: HEAL work
Hawaiʻi Island HEAL has been working collaboratively with island-wide partners to build a healthier Hawaiʻi Island since 2015. We connect food and agriculture organizations to larger networks, advocate for increased active transportation options, and support programs that bring fresh, local produce to our community. To learn more about Hawaiʻi Island HEAL, please visit our Hawaiʻi Island page.
Hawaiʻi Island HEAL (HI HEAL) partners with organizations and communities around the island to raise awareness of health obstacles and rally our community around making the healthy choice the easy choice. In 2021 HI HEAL partnered with several agencies and organizations including the Hawaiʻi Island Food Alliance (HIFA) and County of Hawaiʻi to lead and organize the 4th Annual Hawaiʻi Island Community Food Summit. HI HEAL contributed to both the HIFA Steering Committee as well as lead this year’s summit planning committee. Stay tuned for the recording of the summit, and if you want to learn more or get involved, visit our Hawaiʻi Island page.
Maui, Molokai, Lānaʻi: HEAL Coalition
The Healthy Eating + Active Living (HEAL) Coalition for Maui, Molokai and Lānaʻi has over 100 volunteer members and stakeholders. Our mission is to improve community health across Maui County and help make the healthy choice the easy choice. Our focus areas include Access to Healthy Food, Built Environment and Worksite Wellness. We collaborate and partner with community organizations to make streets safe for all, to make locally grown food more affordable and accessible and to support wellness in the workplace. Please visit our Maui, Molokai and Lānaʻi page for more info.
In March 2021, the HEAL Coalition for Maui, Molokai and Lānaʻi, the Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization, County of Maui Department of Public Works, and local artist Matt Agcolicol partnered to design and install a “Quick Build” Demonstration Project at the Papa Avenue and Māʻalo Street intersection fronting Lihikai School in Kahului, Maui. The project includes improvements to pedestrian, bike, and parking facilities that included public art to make the area safer and more vibrant. Making it easier for people to get outside and move is important to prevent conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Funding for the project was provided by the State Department of Health, and technical support was provided by SSFM International and the Ulupono Foundation.
Obesity Prevention Task Force
As part of our HEAL work, HIPHI convenes the statewide Obesity Prevention Task Force (OPTF) which is comprised of 60+ statewide organizations that make policy recommendations to reduce obesity and health disparities in school, work places, community, and in healthcare environments, making healthier lifestyles obtainable for Hawaiʻi residents. OPTF also works on local level policies with the City and County of Honolulu to improve access to healthy eating and physical activity including but not limited to supporting Hawaii’s kūpuna, keiki in schools, Vision Zero efforts and increasing multi-modal transportation options.
2021
- Sought to fund community health programs using revenue from a 2-cent-per-ounce fee on sugary drinks to create a sustainable funding source for health programs (Learn more about our campaign).
- Expanded the Double Up Food Bucks program by removing the daily cap and allowing local proteins to be included in the program (Act 177, 2021).
2019
- Passed “Healthy by Default” legislation requiring all kids’ meals to provide a healthy beverage as the default beverage (Act 138, 2019).
- Secured funding for two years to pilot the double bucks program statewide, increasing the purchasing power of fresh fruits and vegetables for SNAP recipients (Act 153, 2019).
2016
- Passed seventh grade examination requirement for public school students (Act 185, 2016).
