The Hawaii Homeless Healthcare Hui, or , has opened a second facility to provide basic medical care to unsheltered individuals on the Windward side of Oahu.
Backed by funding from the state, county, nonprofit and private sectors, the Kaneohe Joint Outreach Center facility will offer services three days a week as part of a three-year pilot program.
Patients may seek medication refills, minor procedures such as stitches, TB tests, vaccinations and other treatment for ailments like asthma, the flu or fevers on a walk-in basis.
Clinic staff will also connect patients to treatment avenues for mental health care and treatment for substance addiction.
The Kaneohe JOC came to fruition via a partnership between H4, , Hawaii Executive Conference, and the state and county governments. More than a dozen private and nonprofit philanthropic donors contributed.
According to the latest , or the annual snapshot of people experiencing homelessness across the state, there were 225 unsheltered individuals living in the region that spans from Kaneohe to Waimanalo, and more than 100 unsheltered individuals living along the upper Windward coast.
The clinic is located in a state building at Kaneohe Civic Center Neighborhood Park on Waikalua Road, adjacent to the local police station and the Kaneohe Public Library.
H4 has operated its Chinatown Joint Outreach Center in Chinatown for more than a year. The nonprofit was founded by Lt. Gov. Josh Green and Scott Miscovich, both of whom are doctors.
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About the Author
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Eleni Avenda帽o, who covers public health issues, is a corps member with , a national nonprofit organization that places journalists in local newsrooms. Her health care coverage is also supported by , , and . You can reach her by email at egill@civilbeat.org or follow her on Twitter at .