(BIVN) – Medical teams working at a flood-damaged health center in Nāʻālehu have opened a mobile clinic in an urgent effort to bring healthcare back to one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Lala.
Hawaii Island Community Health Center’s Kaʻū Health and Dental Center is located a short distance from Punaluʻu Bake Shop. Severe flooding generated by Hurricane Lala’s heavy rains inundated the health center with the same floodwaters that swept through the surrounding area.
“Deep mud filled the property, and the health center building remains without power or reliable connectivity,” the Hawaii Island Community Health Center reported. “The facility is not currently safe for patient care and will require significant remediation before it can reopen.”
“The storm’s impact has also been deeply personal,” the HICHC news release detailed. “Many of the Hawaii Island Community Health Center staff and medical team members who serve Kaʻū live in the same communities as their patients and experienced hurricane impacts themselves. Despite these challenges, HICHC is working urgently to bring healthcare back to one of the areas hardest hit by the storm.”
HICHC set out to establish its mobile clinic in the parking lot of the damaged Nā‘ālehu health center, “bringing medical and behavioral health care directly back into the community.”
From the HIHC:
Partnerships
The effort is already being powered by partnerships across Hawaiʻi Island. HICHC is grateful for support from the County of HawaiʻI Mayor’s office including Deputy Managing Director Merrick Nishimoto. Mahalo to Isemoto Contracting for clearing the deep mud and debris from the health center parking lot. The Hawaiʻi Fire Department has helped hand-deliver prescriptions to patients iwhen access to the health center was limited. International nonprofit Disaster Relief has sent hygiene supplies, emergency response materials, and vital medical supplies, and through a partnership with the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, donations of drinking water, food, hygiene products and cleaning supplies are being gathered for families affected by the storm.
“Our health center building may not be ready to reopen, but that does not mean healthcare has to wait. Kaʻū is our community and we will be there caring for our patients, supporting our neighbors and rebuilding alongside them,” shared Victoria Hanes, Executive Vice President of Operations and Administration.
Road to Recovery
The road toward recovery will take time. Homes, businesses, and community spaces have been damaged, and families and workers throughout the district are facing recovery personally and professionally. But in the days since the storm, we have also seen the heart and strength that have defined Kaʻū for generations: resilience, independence, and an unwavering commitment to caring for each other.
HICHC will continue to share updates as mobile services become available and as plans develop for the remediation and reopening of the Kaʻū Health and Dental Center.
