Propagating Partnerships: Hawaiʻi Island HEAL Coalition

To “enact change,” “build connections,” “open communication,” “pool resources,” “improve impact,” and “collaborate” are just a few of the reasons Hawaiʻi Island organizations have come together to form a Healthy Eating + Active Living Coalition specifically dedicated to transforming our county’s communities and inspiring our residents to make healthier choices. This new Coalition aims to harness the potential of individual resources and create a unique collaborative approach to help us tackle some of the health issues we see here in Hawaiʻi County. 

As recently reported in the 2023 Hawaiʻi Food Bank report “The State of Food Insecurity in Hawaiʻi,” 30% of households experienced food insecurity in 2023, with nine percent of children skipping meals due to lack of food. Hawaiʻi Island was the highest among the island chain, with 40% of households reporting food insecurity. In addition to the alarming state of food security, we also see deficiencies in physical activity, with a mere 23% of adults regularly walking and biking in their neighborhoods, and only 30% of neighborhoods with infrastructure to support physical activity. Both of these indicators are below the Hawaiʻi State values, according to the Hawaiʻi Health Matters (HHM) warehouse Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Tracker (2022). Also, according to the HHM PAN tracker (2021 data), 14.3% of Hawaiʻi Island teens and 17.6% of young teens refrain from walking or biking to school due to safety concerns. The same report shows that only about 42% of teens and young teens engage in regular physical activity. Again, both of these metrics are below that of Hawaiʻi State. 

Given the food security situation and lack of physical activity, several organizations felt “now was the time” to create such a partnership and coalition. In June 2024, Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute Coalition Coordinators Kealaoha Madriaga and Patti Hatziastavrakis convened the first monthly meeting. Organizations such as the County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department, Hāmākua-Kohala Health Center, The Food Basket, County of Hawaiʻi Safe Routes to School, Hawaiʻi County Research and Development, University of Hawaiʻi College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR), People for Active Transportation Hawaiʻi (PATH), Mālaʻai (School Garden Network), Hawaiʻi County Department of Public Works, Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center, and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (Public Health Education) joined forces to ensure our Hawaiʻi Island communities have access to healthy foods and a safe built environment in which to enjoy physical activity. 

Over the last several months, Coalition members have been vocal about the changes they see that must be made in the community, including improving the agriculture sector, making active living more accessible, making it easier for people to choose healthy foods, and spreading awareness about services and opportunities within the community to the most vulnerable priority populations. Collaborations have already happened within the built environment with a community bike education program hosted by PATH and through work with  the East Hawaiʻi Drug-Free Coalition. There have also been discussions surrounding data collection efforts with the Safe Routes to School Coordinator to understand the barriers for keiki walking and rolling to school, the desire to create a new program to train Wellness Advocates aimed at delivering food education to adults and keiki, and the work the Hawaiʻi Island Food Alliance is collaborating on with the County Research and Development department to design a Community Food Security Plan. 

As we move into the next stage of Coalition development, the group will engage in a Strategic Planning session scheduled for late September 2024. The Coalition will consider the initiatives mentioned above and others provided by the Coalition members for inclusion in the 2025 Work Plan. These considerations will enable our 2025 Work Plan to be community-centric and, in the truest form of collaboration, enable member organization priorities to be at the forefront of Coalition activities. Once the Work Plan is finalized, we will create two groups to focus on the priority areas and projects, allowing our efforts to be amplified in a way that has not been possible in the past. It is an inspiring time of growth and opportunity, not only for the Coalition, but also for Hawaiʻi Island communities! 

The last few months of developing the Hawaiʻi Island HEAL Coalition have been rewarding and insightful. With the creation of the 2025 Work Plan, the Coalition will be able to continue to expand and bring on new partners, including community members. We will form a Steering Committee, create branding, and develop a path forward so that the HEAL Coalition can become an integral part of the community for many years. With a defined mission and vision, the Coalition will be poised to benefit the community through its work in creating more access to healthy foods and safer environments in which to be physically active, and we will see our communities thrive! 

To learn more about the Hawaiʻi Island HEAL Coalition, check out our fact sheet or visit our webpage. If you want to join us on this journey, please contact Kealoha (kealoha@hiphi.org) or Patti (patti@hiphi.org) for more details.