Basic medical care will soon roll into rural south Hawaii communities that face limited access to doctors and nurses.
Basic medical care will soon roll into rural south Hawaii communities that face limited access to doctors and nurses.
The state-funded and privately administered mobile medical van called Kaa Hoola, Hawaiian for “vehicle of revitalization and well-being,” will provide improved access to health care in Ka‘u, said Debra Barra, Kona Community Hospital Social Services director and van program manager.
Though aimed at addressing the health care needs of all community members, the mobile medical van will initially provide basic health exams only to students in Ka‘u public schools, Barra said. The choice to start off in a public school, which will be Pahala High and Elementary, was made to get a better idea of where needs really are, she added.
“Once we figure out exactly what we’re dealing with in these communities and what the needs are in the rural areas, we will move into the next phase,” she said after explaining no definitive baseline data exists about the areas needs.
After about six months, the van will transition to providing care to residents of all ages. In the interim, basic medical services will be provided to the community on select occasions including March 30 at the Pahala Community Center.
West Hawaii residents can see the tax payer-funded van during a blessing at noon Saturday at Kona Community Hospital. Food and van tours will also be offered.
The 32.5-foot, handicap-accessible van has an expandable exam room, indoor and outdoor reception areas, a lab and refrigerated storage space. Wireless “telehealth” is also a component that will provide remote patient access to specialists on other islands, she said.
Currently, services rendered are free, however, if patients are referred to a doctor or receive a prescription, they will be responsible for that cost, Barra said. The van does not have licensing to dispense medication.
The van will be operated, maintained and staffed by Kona Community Hospital, Barra said before noting a registered practical nurse, not doctor, will be on board. Some $425,000 in funding from Hawaii Medical Service Association will help support the van in its first two years of operation.
Thereafter, the van must financially support itself, she said. While Barra indicated she would like to see the van become more of an outpatient clinic in Ka‘u at that time, she said a sustainability plan will be drafted to determine the best means for reaching patients.
Work to obtain the mobile medical van began during the 2002-03 state legislative session, said state House Rep. Bob Herkes, D-Puna, Ka‘u, South and North Kona.
However, it wasn’t until 2009 when the state Legislature appropriated some $350,000 in funding that the project finally got rolling, he said. Three years later, and about a decade after the idea materialized, the van is a reality for residents in rural South Hawaii.
“Statewide, we need (to build) more clinics, more mobile medical vans and fewer hospitals,” Herkes said before explaining more clinics would improve overall access and perhaps reduce the need for hospital emergency care. “We need the clinical care available throughout the state.”