Community Well-Being

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The Community Well-being Program promotes the design, strategy, and implementation support of innovative programs to improve the health and well-being of Hawaiʻi Island residents and communities. It identifies innovative models of holistic and integrated systems to create opportunities to advance a well-being economy that nurtures our relationship with ʻāina; addresses economic inequality; and supports individual and community health resilience.

Message from Director Adams

Mayor Roth’s vision for Hawaiʻi Island includes helping our children to thrive and succeed and to raise their children to thrive and succeed. This means accelerating economic opportunities for our people, but it also means improving education, health care, recreation, and overall quality of life for our friends and neighbors who live here. The county needs to play a role in designing an island with the elements that we all know it must have: affordable housing; renewable energy; green mass transportation; an equitable, diverse and resilient economy with upskilling opportunities for our workforce; top-notch education from infant to post-graduate; optimized population health; universal broadband; food security; a culturally sensitive visitor sector; and leadership in the global island partnership. The Community Well-being Economic Development Specialist position has been created by the Roth Administration to help resource Hawaiʻi County’s efforts to address quality-of-life issues of the present day and in the future. The individual who performs this role collaborates with the other Specialists in the Department of Research & Development, as well as other County staff and members of the private, non-profit and philanthropic sectors, to help develop and implement integrated solutions to the problems that we see currently and which we can imagine occurring. We are excited to bring Community Well-being perspectives into the mission of the department: to imagine, invest in, and collaboratively create a sustainable, equitable and thriving Hawaiʻi Island.

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Announcements

HELE-ON AND SAFE PLACE NETWORK PARTNER TO KEEP YOUTH SAFE

The County of Hawaiʻi Mass Transit Agency (MTA), in partnership with the National Safe Place Network (NSPN), is launching Safe Place to expand the safety net for youth in crisis on Hawaiʻi Island. Safe Place programs offer a place to turn for many keiki who believe they have no other option. The MTA has elected to partner with NSPN because Hawaiʻi Island does not have a complete operating Safe Place program. The partnership will help to bring resources and services to those in need.

“Our keiki need to know that our County staff, resources, and facilities are safe places they can turn to when they’re in need,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “We have an obligation as government to ensure the safety of our entire community – especially our keiki. It’s our hope that teachers, parents, and other members of our community will join us in informing youth across the island that this program exists if they find themselves in a situation where they need protection.”

The Safe Place transit model will allow for youth in need to reach out by boarding a Hele-On bus and asking the bus driver for a “Safe Place.” The bus driver will connect with dispatch, who will contact the appropriate resources or organizations to meet the youth in need to help them out of the crisis.

“Nearly half of Hawaiʻi’s juvenile arrests are for status offenses like running away from home or being truant from school. Since 2013, our youth have advocated for safe places where they can go before they get in trouble with the law. The Hele-On Safe Place Program will help our youth connect with the help that they and their families need.” stated Judith Clark, Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network.

For Safe Place and Hele-On information, call (808) 961-8744 or visit http://www.heleonbus.org.

HHS Announces Awardees of $250 Million to Fight COVID-19 and Improve Health Literacy Among Racial and Ethnic Minority and Vulnerable Communities

Hawaiʻi County Launches Health Literacy Project Aimed at Eliminating Disparities

Current Projects

Hawaiʻi Island Opioid Response Network

The Hawaiʻi Island Opioid Response Network is a project in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Island Fentanyl Task Force and the Big Island Substance Abuse Council (BISAC). The project seeks to address the opioid crisis on the island through a comprehensive approach involving various stakeholders. It will focus on education, treatment, harm reduction, and collaboration to reduce access to opioids, provide support to individuals struggling with addiction, and disrupt the drug supply chain. Ultimately, the project aims to improve the health and well-being of the community. This project is funded through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the County of Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health with the use of the National Opioid Settlement Funds.

Hawaiʻi Island Fentanyl Task Force: https://www.hiftf.org

Big Island Substance Abuse Council: https://bisac.org

Hawaiʻi State Department of Health Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division: https://health.hawaii.gov/substance-abuse

Press Release (July 15, 2024): “Hawaiʻi County Formalizes Support for Hawaiʻi Island Fentanyl Task Force And BISAC”

Past Projects

Kuleana Health Program Reports, 2023. Kuleana Health was supported by the Department of Research and Development with a $3,000,000 financial award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH). Award No. 1 CPIMP211264-01-00.

Health Outcomes and Healthcare Access Data

2024 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps - Hawaiʻi County

Many factors influence how well and how long we live, from our access to affordable housing or well-paying jobs to opportunities for a good education for our kids. The County Health Rankings model shows us how these factors work together and illustrates where we can take action to improve health and eliminate unjust barriers to opportunity.

Access to Care Survey July 2022 Report, Community First Hawaiʻi

Access to Care is a program by Community First that takes a systems-level approach to address healthcare access and affordability in Hawaiʻi. By elevating community voice and engaging key stakeholders, Access to Care seeks to make timely and affordable access to healthcare available to all communities - including rural communities - across Hawaiʻi Island.

Every three years, Access to Care conducts a community health needs assessment. This assessment has allowed us to gather information and survey data about the current state of healthcare in Hawaiʻi from healthcare providers, social service professionals, residents, and policymakers, and ensures that those who are historically underrepresented in this kind of research are heard. Findings contribute to a better understanding of the healthcare delivery system in communities across Hawai‘i, and are being used to inform statewide healthcare policies.