Connect With Us: Menu OHA Delivers “Meals & Mahalo” To Frontline Health Care Workers 29 1 1 HONOLULU (Sept. 2, 2021) – In an act of aloha and appreciation, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs today delivered 100 meaʻai pono lunches to frontline health care workers at Straub Medical Center. This follows a delivery of 226 Hawaiian food plates made to Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center on Friday, Aug. 27, for staff in their Emergency Room and three COVID-19 units. “We hear that frontline workers are exhausted and that morale is low, so we wanted to show some much deserved aloha to our healthcare heroes for the work they are doing to serve our community,” said OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey. “The sharing of food is one of the most ʻmana-fulʻ ways for us to express gratitude in the Hawaiian culture.” OHA teamed up with Lunalilo Home, a Native Hawaiian trust, to deliver the “Meals & Mahalo” that went to hospital aides, nurses and physicians who have confronted the ravages of COVID for more than a year, and are now experiencing a shortage of staff and capacity with the latest surge of the pandemic. “We are thankful for OHA and its recognition of our dedicated employees at Straub Medical Center,” said Dawn M. Dunbar, senior vice president of Philanthropy at Hawaiʻi Pacific Health. “These thoughtful acts of kindness encourage our staff and make them feel supported by the community. Straub’s medical teams continue to work to help and heal as many people as they can through the pandemic.” “Our nurses are working many shifts in a row, sometimes sleeping in their cars so they can get needed rest in between shifts. They display so much heart and a passion to keep giving and caring for our patients,” said Rayne Soriano, regional director for Nursing Professional Practice and Operations who received the Hawaiian food plates at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center. “When we get these signs of connection with the community we are blessed to serve, it honors us and keeps us coming back every day. Hopefully these meals will fill not only their stomachs with sustenance, but touch their hearts as well, uplifting their spirits so they can continue to care for the community.” OHA is also coordinating “Meals & Mahalo” deliveries with Queen’s Medical Center West Oʻahu, Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Waimānalo Health Center that serve communities with a high concentration of Native Hawaiians to express gratitude. A total of 1,000 meals are expected to be given out in this first phase with plans for distribution on neighbor islands underway. As of Aug. 30, 2021, the top three zip codes in the state with the highest case counts for the previous 14 days were 96792 (Nānākuli/Waiʻanae) with 861 cases, 96706 and 96797 (Waipahū/Kapolei/ʻEwa) with 774 and 574 cases respectively. Over the course of the pandemic, the total number of cases for these areas is 3,978 for Nānākuli/Waiʻanae and 3,933 and 3,910 respectively for Waipahū/Kapolei/ʻEwa zip codes. The west side of Oʻahu has among the highest concentration of Native Hawaiians residing there in the state. Overall, roughly 62 percent of Hawaiʻi is fully vaccinated, but Native Hawaiians have among the lowest rates with some estimates showing the rate at about 40 percent. “We need a kākou mindset to beat COVID – that means thinking of protecting not just ourselves, but our entire community, our unvaccinated keiki, our kūpuna, our vulnerable populations with pre-existing conditions, and our overworked healthcare workers,” Lindsey said. “Perhaps the most critical way community members can share their aloha for frontline medical workers is to stay safe by staying home, washing hands, social distancing, and – of course – getting vaccinated.” To find a vaccination site near you, go to https://hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine/. Other community organizations interested in supporting this effort should contact Solutions Pacific at team@sphawaii.com. Category: COVID-19 Press Release Date: 2 September 2021 OTHER NEWS More OHA HIRES NEW CHIEF ADVOCATE AND NEW COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR MORE DR. DAVID KEKAULIKE SING HONORED BY THE NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION WITH A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD MORE STATEMENT FROM OHA BOARD CHAIR LINDSEY ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLESʻ DAY MORE OHA DELIVERS “MEALS & MAHALO” TO FRONTLINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS ON HAWAI’I ISLAND MORE OHA ANNOUNCES COMMERCIAL ACQUISITION OF TWO PROPERTIES NEXT TO NĀ LAMA KUKUI MORE Office of Hawaiian Affairs 560 Nimitz Hwy #200 Honolulu, HI 96817 SITE INFO Employment Opportunities Staff: Webmail Public Notices Media Kit Terms of Use Policy Privacy Policy CONTACT US Email Us Office Locations (808) 594-1835 © 2021 Office of Hawaiian Affairs