It was a day of small victories that could lead to big changes in young lives.
When one youngster ran into a sign on his way into Saturday’s vision and hearing screening at Konawaena Elementary School, Lions Club of Kona member Gene Yap knew the event was on the right track.
“He is going to be helped now,” Yap said.
Along with vision screening by Project Vision Hawaii, the West Hawaii Community Health Center offered blood sugar and blood pressure tests, keiki dental screening and insurance information at the Lions-sponsored event. Also present were the National Federation of the Blind and Eyes on Track, which screened young eyes for the often unnoticed tracking issues that lead to reading problems. Hearing screening and language translators were also provided.
“There are no vendors. Everyone here is giving their weekend trying to uplift the community,” Yap said.
The purpose of the event was driven home by another victory. One family in line was making $12.50 an hour and spending $900 a month on health insurance. As they learned about their options, it became evident they were eligible for Medicaid.
“All of a sudden, that $900 more a month they can use for daily living. That’s huge,” said Richard Taaffe, CEO of the health center.
Over at keiki dental care, dentists examined 30 children by 10:45 a.m., ranging from 5 months old to 19. The good news was most of the kids’ teeth were in good shape.
“The bad news was that the ones that were in bad shape were in really bad shape,” said pediatric dentist Kyoko Awamura of the Keiki Health Center in Kealakekua. “Several kids were in urgent need.”
West Hawaii Community Health Center is set to expand into a Kealakehe center next summer, bringing with it a full slate of medical and dental services to the Lai Opua affordable housing project, where it will apply the same model of access as exists at its five locations scattered from Waikoloa to Kealakekua.
“We’re giving geographic access, and financial access because the services we offer are on a sliding scale, based on income and family size,” Taaffe said.
The 10,500-square-foot West Hawaii Community Health Center has enough money to complete construction of its first phase. However, another $1 million will be needed to equip and furnish the center, Taaffe said.
“Dental equipment alone is $325,000,” he said. “We’re engaged in that fundraising process now.”
Ultimately, the center hopes to catch medical and dental problems early among those who most need the intervention.
“If we want to build a healthy community, that means all people,” Taaffe said. “That’s really why we are here today. It’s about reaching out and providing access to everyone.”
To publicize Saturday’s event, the Lions passed out 2,800 fliers to the Konawaena schools, knocked on doors and went into the coffee fields in areas where they knew it would be hard to get the word out. In all, the event served about 150 people and featured a $10,000 donation to Project Vision Hawaii through the Lions from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
Yap said it’s been true for a long time that a deep economic struggle is often unseen behind the glitz of hotels and palm trees of West Hawaii. A former Konawaena High School history teacher, Yap was reminded of that hardscrabble vein when he ran into a former student of his, now in his 50s.
“He said, ‘I wish we had this when I was a kid,’” Yap said. “He could read above the second-grade level because he couldn’t see. His parents missed it. His teachers missed it.”
“It’s great if we can catch them when they’re young.”
