HIPHI has over 20 years of policy and advocacy experience. With health without disparity as the focus of our work, HIPHI provides customized technical assistance and support on a variety of public health policy issues, with a strong focus on low-income populations and vulnerable groups. Additional information on our current policy initiatives can be found on HIPHI’s policy page.
A few example projects include:
- Annual Legislative Recap
- Annual Public Health Agenda
- Healthy By Default (Baseline Assessment), 2020 (Led by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and the Hawai‘i State Department of Health.)
- Maui Social Host Ordinance
- Smoke-Free Homes
- Impact of a Sugary Sweetened Beverage Fee in Hawai‘i (in partnership with Harvard University and Hawai‘i State Department of Health), 2018
[he/him] Rick joined HIPHI in 2018 and currently serves as the Director for for the Maui Coalition for Drug-Free Youth, the East Hawai‘i Drug-Free Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance. His experience includes building new community coalitions and implementing community-level policy strategies to reduce the harms of substance use. He is a Certified Prevention Specialist and holds an MS in Counseling Psychology. He and his family love to travel and like to do home exchanges when they travel.
Patrick joined HIPHI in April 2021 to lead the Hawaiʻi Oral Health Coalition toward growth and stability by increasing community engagement, educating the public and health community, promoting oral health as part of overall health, and working to improve oral health through policy, practice, and advocacy. He developed his passion for oral health through his work as a Health Specialist in Early Head Start/Head Start. Patrick holds a BS in Public Health with a focus on Health Promotion and Health Behavior and an MPH in Public Health Practice from Oregon State University. In his free time, Patrick enjoys hiking, playing frisbee, and exploring the Big Island with family and friends.