Hawaii Island Hiv Aids Foundation

THE HAWAII ISLAND HIV/AIDS FOUNDATION IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO BUILDING A HEALTHIER, STRONGER COMMUNITY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HIV AND RELATED HEALTH ISSUES.AFTER A SIX MONTH REBRANDING PROCESS, HAWAI'I ISLAND HIV/AIDS FOUNDATION REGISTERED WITH THE STATE OF HAWAI'I TO BEGIN DOING BUSINESS AS KUMUKAHI HEALTH + WELLNESS (KHW). THIS NEW NAME TIES THE FOUNDATION TO HAWAI'I ISLAND AND ADDRESSES THE STIGMA AND BARRIERS TO SERVICES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED BY CLIENTS, STAFF AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS WITH THE TERM HIV/AIDS. THE NEW NAME ALSO ENCOMPASSES OUR EXPANDED HEALTH SERVICES OVER THE PAST DECADE.

THE CLIENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS INCREASED THE CASE MANAGEMENT TEAM SO THAT THERE ARE 2 FULL-TIME CASE MANAGERS IN KONA AND 3 FULL-TIME CASE MANAGERS IN HILO, ALONG WITH A HOUSING COORDINATOR TO SERVE ALL CLIENTS. TOGETHER THE TEAM HAS SERVED 312 UNDUPLICATED CLIENTS AND PROVIDED 10,753 SERVICE DELIVERIES. THERE HAVE BEEN 35 INTAKES THAT ARE A COMBINATION OF NEWLY DIAGNOSED INDIVIDUALS, INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE MOVED TO THE ISLAND AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE DECIDED TO SEEK OUT CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES BUT HAD ALREADY BEEN LIVING ON ISLAND. WE HAVE STRENGTHENED OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS WHO ARE WILLING TO SEE OUR CLIENTS AS WELL AS ESTABLISHED MONTHLY PATIENT REVIEW MEETINGS WITH THE CLINT SPENCER CLINIC FROM OAHU WHO PROVIDES HIV SPECIALTY CARE AT BOTH OUR HILO AND KONA OFFICES ONCE A MONTH. MOST IMPORTANTLY WE COLLABORATE EVERY DAY WITH OUR AIAOLA SEXUAL HEALTH CLINIC WHICH HAS AN HIV SPECIALIST ON STAFF. WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A STATE-WIDE RYAN WHITE ZOOM MEETING EVERY MONTH HELD BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO DISCUSS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO BENEFIT CLIENTS.

THROUGH THE PREVENTION OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT (PO'E) DEPARTMENT'S TESTING PROGRAM, WE DIAGNOSED AND TREATED 116 CASES OF GONORRHEA, CHLAMYDIA OR SYPHILIS AND DIAGNOSED AND LINKED 7 INDIVIDUALS TO HIV CARE. WE ALSO HAD 6 POSITIVE HCV CASES WITHIN THIS YEAR. WE CONDUCTED 3,655 SEXUAL HEALTH TESTS (HIV, HEPATITIS C, SYPHILIS, CHLAMYDIA AND GONORRHEA). IN TOTAL, KHW WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE TESTING TO 993 PEOPLE. PO'E STAFF ALSO EXCHANGED 97,638 SYRINGES IN 931 PARTICIPANT VISITS TO OUR OFFICE, AS WELL AS PASSED OUT 185 DOSES OF NALOXONE. 38,731 CONDOMS WERE ALSO DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE WEST SIDE OF HAWAII ISLAND.

THE KOKUA SERVICES PARTNERSHIP HAS GROWN IN SO MANY WAYS. OUR COMMUNITY HAS LOOKED AT US AS A VIABLE RESOURCE AND WE ARE GROWING MONTH BY MONTH. WE HAVE STRENGTHENED THE TRUST WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES AND PARTNERS AS WELL AS EARNING A MUTUAL RESPECT FOR OUR SERVICE AREAS. ALTHOUGH WE ARE STILL IN THE PANDEMIC AND WE HAVE A PHE (PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY) CONTINUING THROUGH HARD WORK AND DEDICATION WE HAVE INCREASED OUR NUMBERS WHICH HAS BENEFITED THE COMMUNITIES WHICH WE SERVE SUCH AS COFA, FARMERS, LGBTQ AND THE HOMELESS COMMUNITIES ISLAND-WIDE. WITH OUR PARTNERS THE ISLAND OF HAWAII YMCA, KALANIHALE, HAWAII ISLAND COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, IMUA, AND COMMUNITY CLINIC OF MAUI, WE HAVE PROVIDED 8,623 EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, WE HAVE REACHED OVER 27,374 COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND HAVE DISTRIBUTED 98,975 FLYERS, EMAILS, WEBSITE POST AND MEDIA ADS IN THE NEWSPAPER AND RADIO.