Winter 2024 Update from Our CEO

Aloha,

As 2024 comes to a close, we want to extend our heartfelt mahalo to you—our partners, supporters, and friends. Your dedication and commitment make all the difference in our shared goal to build healthier, more resilient communities.

Earlier this year, we set out to continue our Perspectives on Community Health Field Trips, where we visit organizations to learn about their work and approach to health. We visited four different islands this year, each trip helping us cultivate cross-sector collaborations and community connections. We launched the search for a Director of Community Preparedness and Resiliency – a new position we created to strengthen our communities’ ability to respond, adapt, and persist in the face of challenges and adversity. We’ve been actively recruiting for this role and hope to have someone onboard by early 2025! This position will focus on environmental health, food systems, crisis management, and community resiliency. We’re also pleased to welcome four new staff members this quarter—Saya, Takson, Ariana, and Sheryl—to our HIPHI ʻohana.

We’re also thrilled to welcome the Hawai‘i Immunization Coalition (HIC) under HIPHI’s umbrella of programs this year. HIC’s mission is to promote effective strategies to protect Hawai’i’s families against vaccine-preventable diseases. As partners, HIC and the HIPHI have worked together to promote the importance of immunizations, and by joining forces, we are better positioned to advance vaccination efforts and protect public health. A key strength of HIC is its collaboration with community partners to host educational seminars and conferences, and we’re excited to amplify these efforts in the coming year. 

This work is more critical than ever as we prepare for the upcoming administration. The selection of some cabinet nominees brings significant risks to public health, including the spread of misinformation, weakened public confidence in essential health tools, and potential funding cuts to critical programs. 

Our 2025 policy priorities include tobacco prevention and control, healthy eating and active living, oral health, farm to school, alcohol regulations, and more. We encourage you to sign up for our emails to stay updated on key bills and join us for the virtual Policy and Advocacy Training on January 18, from 9 AM to 11 AM, to learn how you can engage in the policy process.

We couldn’t do this work without supporters like you, and this holiday season, we hope you’ll consider making a tax-deductible donation to HIPHI at hiphi.org/donate. There is a lot of uncertainty and concern as we head into 2025, and your support will help us protect the health and well-being of our communities. 

From all of us at HIPHI, we wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy holiday season and a bright start to the new year!

Jessica Yamauchi, MA
Chief Executive Officer