WE — Hui for Health Screenings Through June 30

East Kaua`i Lions receive retinal screening training. Photo courtesy of WE

WE  continues through Saturday, June 30.

WE — a hui for health, is a program created in 2011 and based on Hawai`i values and local relationships. It will be in Kaua’i for two weekends this month to give Island people access to screenings and information to help them understand their role in their own health.  “You don’t get health from the doctor. You give health to yourself!” is how John Hau`oli Tomoso of Maui’s Hui No Ke Ola Pono puts it.

WE members is a consortium of not-for-profit health advocacy groups, government agencies, native Hawaiian health organizations, the state’s premiere hospital, `Ohana Health Plan and Lions Clubs throughout Hawai`i. The entities  work together, taking the health screening caravan on the road.

WE’s purpose is to give persons actionable information about their personal health situation with the goal of motivating  persons  to take responsibility for their own health.  WE believes that good health is most accessible when it is based on relationship, respect and participation.

WE, which was originally an acronym for wellness event and now means “all of us who choose to stand together,” provides the screenings, information, explanations, and support in as much time and depth as requested, in a number of languages, and with local style.

The WE schedule on Kaua`i is:

Friday, June 22   (3pm-7pm)          Kilauea Gym

Saturday, June 23   (9am-1pm)      Princeville Foodland
Sunday, June 24   (9am-1pm)        ‘Eleele Shopping Center
Monday, June 25   (9am-1pm)        Waimea Plantation Cottages
Friday, June 29   (4pm-7pm)           Kukui Grove Shopping Center
Saturday, June 30   (9am-1pm)       Kukui Grove Shopping Center

The Vision Van for Retinal Screenings will also be available without other health screenings on Wednesday June 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kapa`a Big Save and then on Tuesday, July 3 from 8 a.m. to noon at Hanama`ulu Public Housing Complex where Lions Clubs International will also be doing some promotional filming of Lions at work.

WE events on Kaua’i are made possible through the financial and material support of each organization and from Young Brothers, the Lions Clubs on Kaua‘i and throughout the state, and `Ohana Health Plan.

The screenings WE provides include:

Retinal Screening on the Vision Van. (Project Vision Hawai`i, Lions Clubs of District 50
Lions Clubs International and numerous Optometrists and Ophthalmologists on
every island
Spirometry Lung Function Test (Hawaii COPD Coalition, Respiratory professionals,
Respiratory Technician students from Kapi`olani Community College, University
of Hawai`i)
Glucose, Hemoglobin A1C, and Cholesterol Testing (American Diabetes Association,
Entra Health Systems, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawai`i at Hilo, Hui
No Ke Ola Pono)
Take-Home Kidney Function Test (National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii)
Women’s Health and Breast Examination Training and Information (The Queen’s
Medical Center, Women’s Health & Maternity Services)
Hepatitis Risk Assessment and Screening, Counseling and Safe Tattoo Practices
Information (Hepatitis Support Network)
Hearing Testing and Learning Disabilities Information (Learning Disabilities Association
of Hawai`i)
Smoking Cessation Counseling (American Lung Association)
Family Caregiver Counseling (The Caregiver Foundation of America, Hawaii Chapter)
Organ Donorship Counseling (Legacy of Life Hawai`i)
Mental Health Information, Peer Education, and Resource Publications (Mental Health
Transformation State Incentive Grant, Department of Health, State of Hawai`i,
Consumer Family Youth Alliance, Mental Health America Hawaii Chapter,
Hawai`i Families as Allies, United Self-Help)
Family-focused Education Wheel (Maui District Health Office, Public Health)
Issues with Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer (`Imi Hale of Papa Ola Lōkahi)
Education and issues surrounding Medicare (Sage PLUS, Executive Office on Aging,
Department of Health, State of Hawai`i)

Throughout 2012, WE will offer 40 individual days of screenings, including ten or more specifically planned for Native Hawaiian Homeland sites.  WE will cover all six major Hawaiian Islands, hoping to increase coverage to 8000 individuals in lower-income, rural, and generally under-resourced areas to help our fellow Islanders learn to take control of their own health.

For information about screenings, call 808.282.2265

For information on the schedule and locations, call  the Kaua`i connection at 346-7980.