The following article was originally published in MidWeek Central Oʻahu Voice on April 6, 2022, written by Kyle Galdeira. Reprinted with permission.

Wahiawā Health Serves Communities

By Kyle Galdeira

As one of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s legacy projects, Wahiawā Health was established to meet the needs of the underserved and vulnerable communities of Wahiawā, Waialua, Schofield Barracks, Kunia and Mililani by providing affordable, high-quality health care in one convenient place.

“As a nonprofit community health center, Wahiawā Health provides services to everyone, regardless of ability to pay, and offers a sliding fee scale that is based on family income,” says CEO Bev Harbin. “We cater especially to the needs of Medicare and Medicaid patients in Central Oʻahu. We accept most major insurance and our team can assist with insurance enrollment for those who are uninsured.”

Wahiawā Health has over 50 staff members working on-site and remotely, and the center is continually growing its services to meet the needs of the community. The health center expanded its women’s health care services, including full obstetrics and gynecology, through a partnership with Hawaiʻi Pacific Health including Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children.

Records for women who deliver their babies at Kapiʻolani Medical Center are sent directly to Wahiawā Health for post-delivery care, and infant records are immediately sent to its pediatric providers to create an effortless transition from birth to aftercare and well-baby visits. An advanced practice registered nurse lactation specialist is also on hand to provide support to new mothers.

“Through this partnership, we are able to seamlessly connect patients living in rural Central Oʻahu communities with the most comprehensive maternity and newborn care in the Pacific region,” Harbin says.

Wahiawā Health is open six days a week, conveniently in Wahiawā, and provides a full range of health care providers to meet the needs of everyone in the family, from keiki to kūpuna. Family appointments can be scheduled on the same day for added convenience and telehealth appointments are also available.

“Our physicians, nurses and staff work together to provide quality health care for the entire family, from primary health care, internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics, to behavioral health and diabetes management,” Harbin says. “We expanded our internal medicine team of specialists to provide quality care for patients with complex conditions and more than one disease. Our diabetes management team provides education to our diabetes patients to help improve their quality of life, self-manage their illness and reduce medical costs.”

Wahiawā Health Provides A Full Range Of Providers For The Whole Family

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to steep declines in annual physical exams and cancer screenings, particularly in the underserved communities of Central Oʻahu. In Hawaiʻi, experts at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center have seen a drop in mammographic screening during the pandemic, although mammography rates have started to recover. However, according to the Wahiawā Health team, a significant reduction in colonoscopy screenings for colorectal cancer continues.

“This is especially important for our Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations as these groups are already affected by worse outcomes for colon, breast and other cancers,” Harbin says. “We are working diligently to create awareness and inform our patients about screenings and annual physical exams they have missed to help with early detection and treatment to minimize preventable cancer-related deaths.”

Wahiawā Health continues to offer COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, and has a separate phone line for the community to make an appointment for a test, vaccine or booster shot at 808-622-1619.

To make an appointment, call 808-622-1618 or email info@wahiawahealth.org. For more information, visit wahiawahealth.org.

Source: MidWeek Central Oʻahu Voice, April 6, 2022. Written by Kyle Galdeira. Photo by Anthony Consillio.