News

Inoculations continue: Residents 70 and older eligible for vaccinations starting Monday

Inoculations continue: Residents 70 and older eligible for vaccinations starting Monday

By Laura Ruminski West Hawaii Today lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com | Friday, March 5, 2021, 12:05 a.m.
https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2021/03/05/hawaii-news/inoculations-continue-residents-70-and-older-eligible-for-vaccinations-starting-monday/

Pfizer vaccines are ready to be administered at the Kona Community Hospital clinic Thursday at Kekuaokalani Gym. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)

Kona Community Hospital held its second COVID-19 vaccine mega clinic Thursday, with more than 600 individuals registered to receive a dose at Kekuaokalani Gymnasium in Kailua-Kona.

With the 615 doses administered Thursday, the hospital has now given more than 7,300 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Phase 1A front-line workers, and Phase 1B kupuna age 75 and older and essential workers, said Judy Donovan, Kona Community Hospital’s marketing and strategic planning director.

Phase 1B essential workers now include employees in transportation (bus, mass transit and dock workers), agriculture, grocery stores, food suppliers, restaurants, gas stations, skilled trades (mechanics, electricians, plumbers), financial institutions, and hospitality/hotels.

The process begins with those set to get the vaccine entering the gym and being checked in. Next, they headed to a waiting area where their paperwork was verified. Once confirmed, nurses and National Guard medics administered the shot and sent the person for a 15- to 30-minute wait under the watchful eye of medical personnel. The whole process takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

The closed point of dispensing (POD) mega clinic is being put on thanks to a partnership between Kona Community Hospital, Alii Health Center, West Hawaii Community Health Center, state Department of Health, Hawaii County and the Hawaii National Guard. Kona Community Hospital is operating the clinic on Thursdays, the Department of Health on Tuesdays and West Hawaii Community Health Center (WHCHC) on Fridays.

Today, the West Hawaii Community Health Center will host the first walk-in clinic at the gym from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for kupuna 75 years of age and older. No pre-registration is needed and vaccination is on a first-come, first-served basis for Hawaii County residents with a valid ID only. Part-time “snowbird” residents are eligible but must provide proof of part-time residency.

Patients of WHCHC may register for the in-clinic vaccination by visiting www.westhawaiichc.org.

Though hundreds pulled up their sleeves Thursday, KCH Medical Director Alistair Bairos said he would like to see more people at the clinic.

“We need more people to sign up and come for our vaccine,” he said.

That hopefully will happen because starting Monday, the eligibility age for vaccine administration will drop to 70 and older for all dispensers, including North Hawaii Community Hospital and the state Department of Health.

Vaccinations are by appointment only at the Waimea facility. To request an appointment, email QNHCHVaccine@queens.org and include your name, date of birth, phone number, and employer if you are an essential worker.

To schedule an appointment to receive the Moderna vaccine via the Department of Health call (808) 300-1120. Frontline essential workers will receive vaccinations coordinated through their employer or industry organizations. Organizations with frontline essential workers in Phase 1B should complete not more than one online survey available at www.hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine.

To schedule a vaccination with Kona Community Hospital, call (808) 322-4451. Information can also be obtained via email to KCHCOVIDvaccine@hhsc.org.

 

Mass COVID Vaccination Clinics Continue Weekly, Walk-Ins Accepted on Fridays

Mass COVID Vaccination Clinics Continue Weekly, Walk-Ins Accepted on Fridays

By Tiffany DeMasters March 4, 2021, 5:44 PM HST

https://bigislandnow.com/2021/03/04/mass-covid-vaccination-clinics-continue-weekly-walk-ins-accepted-on-fridays/

Galen Kawasaki has been waiting to get the COVID-19 vaccine since the pandemic broke out a year ago.

The Safeway cashier got his chance to obtain the shot through Kona Community Hospital’s second mass vaccination clinic on Thursday at the Kona Community Aquatic Center gym. Kawasaki was one of more than 600 people to be inoculated.

“It’s a relief that we can get some protection,” Kawasaki said.

Mass vaccinations have been taking place in Hilo and Kona by appointment only. Up to now, kūpuna ages 75 years or older, essential workers and educators have been the only ones qualified to receive the shot. However, starting March 8, the Department of Health will now offer the vaccine to individuals 70 years of age or older.

Judy Donovan, KCH spokeswoman, said the hospital was unable to handle the number of people requesting appointments for the vaccine. Last week, more than 200 people were vaccinated at KCH.

“Working in collaboration with the Department of Health and West Hawai‘i Community Health Center, we decided to pool our resources and come down to the gym…and open up to a much larger population,” Donovan said.

People were moving through the gym smoothly. With members of the public checking in on the makai side of the building, they filled out paperwork while waiting for the next health care worker available to give the vaccine.

When the health care worker was finishing vaccinating someone, he/she held up a paddle indicating he/she was ready to take the next person waiting.

After getting the shot, people waited in an observation area for 15 minutes to ensure they didn’t have a bad reaction to the vaccine. For those with a history of allergies to vaccines, they were required to stay 30 minutes.

Hawai‘i County has offered the gym as a location to continue the mass clinics until they are no longer needed.

Starting tomorrow, March 5, West Hawai‘i Community Health Center (WHCHC) will offer a walk-in clinic for the community every Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Natasha Ala, director of marketing and development at WHCHC, said this week’s clinic will be for kūpuna 75 years or older and essential workers.

“It’ll be first-come-first-serve so come when you can,” Ala said Thursday.

KCH is administering the Pfizer vaccine while WCHC is proving the Moderna vaccine. DOH also announced the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine was now available in the state, however, Donovan and Ala don’t know when their respective facilities will have access to it.

The Kona hospital and clinic aren’t currently having supply issues.

“We have a steady supply of Pfizer…,” Donovan explained. “Right now we’re receiving one tray a week (975 doses).

Donovan added they always want to have enough vaccine on hand to provide the second shot.

For several weeks now, Hawai‘i County has maintained a low number of COVID cases. Donovan believes the reason behind this isn’t just because of the vaccine rollout.

“I’ve been pretty amazed with our community and their compliance with the mask wearing and social distancing,” she added. “Almost everyone I see is willing to do what’s necessary to protect each other.”

The resounding feeling among people waiting for their vaccine during Thursday’s clinic was the importance of protecting not only themselves but those around them from the virus.

“(I’m here) to help prevent it from going further, including ourselves,” said Barbara Cameron who was there with her husband Jim. Both are 75 years or older.

Kawasaki said a lot of his family and friends are at risk or have been affected by COVID-19.

“Just take it — it’s easy,” Kawasaki said. “It’s harmless, painless, quick and simple. Didn’t hurt at all.”

For more information on obtaining a vaccine through KCH, click here.

For more information on obtaining a vaccine through West Hawai‘i Community Health Center, click here.

For more information on obtaining a vaccine through Hilo Medical Center, click here.

Hospitals resist Our Care, Our Choice Act

Hospitals resist Our Care, Our Choice Act

By STEPHANIE SALMONS Hawaii Tribune-Herald | Sunday, February 14, 2021, 12:05 a.m.

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2021/02/14/hawaii-news/hospitals-resist-our-care-our-choice-act/

Kathleen Katt

Those seeking to access the Our Care, Our Choice Act still face barriers.

Enacted in 2019, the aid-in-dying law allows Hawaii residents 18 years old or older who are diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a prognosis of six months or less to live to obtain a fatal prescription after two separate verbal requests to a physician, a written request with two witnesses and a mental health evaluation to ensure they are capable of making medical decisions for themselves.

But a lack of providers willing to participate and policies implemented by island health care systems are hindering access to aid-in-dying.

The East Hawaii Region of the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., which includes Hilo Medical Center, will not participate in OCOCA-related services on its premises, according to a new policy implemented this month.

That includes the duties required by providers under the law, prescribing or delivering aid-in-dying drugs; and prohibiting patients from self-administering the drug while a patient is in an East Hawaii Region facility.

Under the policy, however, providers can still diagnose or confirm a terminal illness, provide information about the law upon request, refer the patient to another health care provider who does participate, and support the patient and their families through the end-of-life process.

According to the policy, providers won’t be censured, disciplined, lose privileges or face any penalty for participating in OCOCA outside of an East Hawaii Region facility.

Approved by the HMC executive management team this month, the policy applies to all East Hawaii critical access hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and the Hilo hospital.

“We really support this, and we’re very glad the Legislature has allowed this service to be provided to our community and the people of Hawaii,” HMC Chief Medical Officer Kathleen Katt said. “We are unable to provide the service at our hospital, because we don’t have the resources that are needed to be able to fulfill all of the requirements.”

“We have providers already stretched thin doing clinic work, seeing their own patients,” hospital spokeswoman Elena Cabatu said. “It would require more care for this one patient that they’re already receiving.”

Katt said the health care system supports patients with terminal illnesses and their families through end of life by supporting patient health care services and providing pastoral and palliative care services.

Providers also could refer patients to other providers in the community who provide aid-in-dying.

A similar policy is in place in North Hawaii.

“Although we respect patients’ dignity and right to choose, QNHC does not participate in Our Care, Our Choice Act activities,” said Lynn Scully, spokeswoman for Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea.

Kona Community Hospital, however, which is part of the HHSC West Hawaii Region, is in the final stages of adopting a position of “engaged neutrality,” spokeswoman Judy Donovan said.

“KCH supports our patients and their choices regarding the law,” she said. “We will provide appropriate educational resources that allow a patient to make informed end-of-life decisions. However, the hospital does not participate in OCOCA by way of allowing the administration of end-of-life medications on the KCH campus.”

According to Donovan, when a patient requests life-ending medication under the law, KCH providers will participate by offering appropriate resources or support and performing duties that are considered standard care for end-of-life patients.

“For years, KCH providers and the health care team have performed certain aspects of end-of-life processes, such as diagnosing or confirming a terminal disease; providing info to a patient in order to make informed decisions; determining a patient’s capacity, etc.,” she said. “These tasks, along with palliative care, are the standards of care in end-of-life patient care. The determination to provide neutral support of OCOCA was the next step in the evolving standards of care for end-of-life patients.”

Employees are not mandated to participate in OCOCA, but they are educated about KCH’s policy and will arrange for another staff member to provide the requested educational resources, Donovan said.

Donovan said the adoption of this policy is a component of KCH’s inaugural Circle of Life program.

Circle of Life is an employee-based support program that aims to create “meaningful experiences for employees and patients through the use of education and tools relating to traumatic events, end-of-life matters and bereavement.”

Sam Trad, state director for Compassion and Choices, part of a national organization that advocates for end-of-life rights, said finding a provider is the biggest challenge to accessing the law — especially in East Hawaii — and creates a “real barrier.”

“I get a lot of calls from East Hawaii patients who want this option, and currently the only solution is for them to see doctors on the other side of the island,” she said. “I know of at least two patients who died before they were able to complete the process because there’s no doctor in East Hawaii who will support patients. …”

Trad said she encourages health care systems and hospices to have a neutral policy regarding the law.

“If a doctor wants to support the patients in the option, they can,” she said. “We don’t expect any health care systems to be overly supportive of the option but also hope they don’t (oppose) it.”

Calls to Hawaii Care Choices, formerly Hospice of Hilo, were not returned.

How to register to be vaccinated

How to register to be vaccinated

By STEPHANIE SALMONS Hawaii Tribune-Herald | Monday, February 1, 2021, 12:05 a.m.

How to register to be vaccinated | West Hawaii Today

The Moderna vaccine is seen at Regency at Hualalai in Kailua-Kona. (Courtesy Photo/Special to West Hawaii Today)

 

For more information about registering for the vaccination and how and to do so, visit hawaiicovid19.com/vaccination-registration.

According to the site, kupuna 75 or older are now eligible to register for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Medical personnel and frontline workers in Phase 1B also are being vaccinated and will be contacted by their employer to schedule their COVID-19 vaccination, the site states.

The site also includes a survey for organizations with frontline essential workers in Phase 1B that will identify eligible workers and coordinate vaccinations.

Essential workers in Phase 1B includes: first responders, corrections officers, emergency services dispatchers, critical transportation infrastructure workers (harbor and dock workers, public transportation, etc.), critical utilities (energy, water, etc.), teachers and child care and educational support staff (child care, early education, K-12, post-secondary), those essential for federal, state, local government operations, and U.S. Postal Service employees.

Adults over 75 can contact Hawaii District Health Office vaccination sites for assistance registering by calling 300-1120 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday.

For kupuna registration at Hilo Medical Center, visit hilomedicalcenter.org or call 932-3000 and press 8 on weekdays during business hours for assistance; at Kona Community Hospital, call 322-4451 from 8 a.m.-noon Monday-Friday; and at Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital, call 881-4668 or email QNHCHVaccine@queens.org for scheduling.

To schedule an appointment with Kaiser Permanente, visit bit.ly/KaiserCOVID. Those unable to schedule online can call 432-2000 (TTY 711) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Scores of kupuna receive COVID-19 vaccine in Kona

Scores of kupuna receive COVID-19 vaccine in Kona

By Chelsea Jensen West Hawaii Today cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com | Friday, January 22, 2021, 12:05 a.m.

https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2021/01/22/hawaii-news/scores-of-kupuna-receive-covid-19-vaccine-in-kona/

Hawaii hospitals to serve as COVID-19 vaccination hubs for independent health care workers

Hawaii hospitals to serve as COVID-19 vaccination hubs for independent health care workers

State health officials have set up vaccination hub sites at Hawaii hospitals in an effort to rapidly administer COVID-19 vaccines to independent health care workers.

The state Department of Health and Healthcare Association of Hawaii are working with hospitals in each county to ensure independent health care providers and their staff can receive the first dosage of their vaccine this month as part of the first phase of the vaccine rollout.

Hawaii’s hospitals, which are using the Pfizer vaccine for health care workers, will also serve as hubs for independent providers to receive their second, follow-up dosage 21 days later.

After health care workers and long-term facility residents and staff are vaccinated, the state will then administer COVID-19 vaccines to seniors 75 and older, along with front-line workers including first responders, corrections officers and teachers. The state plans to begin vaccinating seniors 75 and older in the next week or so.

Independent health care providers and staff who have not yet received a vaccination should complete an online survey developed by the Department of Health in order to start the process.

The information collected from the survey will be sent to the hospital closest to a provider, and the hospital will then reach out to schedule a vaccination appointment.

Those who have already completed the survey, however, should not submit it again.

Health care providers and staff at independently operated care homes and foster homes are being vaccinated through a separate process.

The vaccination hub sites by counties include:

>> Kauai: Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall (visit Kauai.gov/vaccine);

> Honolulu: Adventist Health Castle, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Medical Center, and The Queen’s Medical Center-Punchbowl and West Oahu;

>> Maui: Maui Memorial Medical Center, Molokai General Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital; and

>> Hawaii island: Hilo Medical Center, Kona Community Hospital and North Hawaii Community Hospital.

Health care providers with a Kaiser Permanente health plan can make an appointment for vaccinations at Kaiser’s Honolulu or Waipio clinic by calling 432-2000, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Kona hospital receives COVID-19 vaccines

Kona hospital receives COVID-19 vaccines

By West Hawaii Today Staff | Monday, December 21, 2020, 12:30 p.m.

https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2020/12/21/hawaii-news/kona-hospital-receives-covid-19-vaccines/

Emily Krug, pharmacy director and Kona Community Hospital CEO Jim Lee pose with a shipment of COVID-19 vaccine received Monday. (Courtesy photo/Special to West Hawaii Today)
Sarah Wagner, pharmacy tech, Lisa Downing, infection prevention director, Emily Krug, pharmacy director and Kona Community Hospital CEO Jim Lee pose with a shipment of COVID-19 vaccine received Monday. (Courtesy photo/Special to West Hawaii Today)

COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in West Hawaii, Kona Community Hospital said Monday afternoon.

Two direct shipments, one from Pfizer and one from Moderna, arrived Monday, the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) facility said in a prepared statement.

The 975 doses of Pfizer vaccine will be made available for those West Hawaii Region employees who want to receive the vaccine, including those at Kona Community Hospital, Kohala Hospital, the Kona Ambulatory Surgery Center and affiliated staff at Alii Health Center.

HHSC anticipates 700 of its staffers will be vaccinated, including 500 at Kona Community Hospital alone.

Kona Community Hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic will go live on Wednesday. Employees and affiliated staff are currently being registered into the electronic record Vaccine Administration Management System. VAMS is a nationwide secure web-based tool will help jurisdictions, clinics, employers and vaccine recipients manage COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

The Moderna vaccine was received on behalf of the state Department of Health. This vaccine, which does not need ultra-cold storage was to be moved to the DOH district office later Monday.

“We are very excited about receiving these vaccine shipments, and look forward to vaccinating front line staff,” said Jim Lee, West Hawaii Region and KCH CEO. “We are working closely with the Hawaii Department of Health at state and local levels, as well as Healthcare Association of Hawaii to roll out vaccinations as quickly as possible.”

Kona Community Hospital to begin vaccinating staff Wednesday; Lt. Gov. says vaccine roll out ‘going well’ in Hawaii

Kona Community Hospital to begin vaccinating staff Wednesday; Lt. Gov. says vaccine roll out ‘going well’ in Hawaii

By Chelsea Jensen West Hawaii Today cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com | Thursday, December 17, 2020, 12:05 a.m.

https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2020/12/17/hawaii-news/green-vaccine-roll-out-going-well/

 

Staff handle trays of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which arrived Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Kaiser Permanente/Special to West Hawaii Today)

Kona Community Hospital anticipates it will begin immunizing staff for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The Kealakekua facility expects to receive one tray of 975 doses Monday afternoon, said spokeswoman Judy Donovan. The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation’s West Hawaii Region, which includes Kohala Hospital, Alii Health Center and the Kona Ambulatory Surgery Center, anticipates 700 of its staffers will be vaccinated, including 500 at Kona Community Hospital alone.

“We’ll begin vaccinations on Wednesday. Employees are definitely indicating interest in receiving the vaccine,” Donovan said.

On Tuesday, The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu administered the first five doses of the vaccine to high-risk health care workers, said Lt. Gov. Josh Green. The facility was the first in the state to receive 975 doses on Monday.

“It is exciting. It does bring hope and it’s going well,” Green said during a Honolulu Star-Advertiser Spotlight Hawaii program livestreamed Wednesday. “Yesterday, was just a little test run so that we could see the processes that we’re going to be doing.”

Green said four additional trays of 975 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine were to arrive Wednesday earmarked for Oahu’s Kaiser Permanente, Kapiolani Medical Center, Straub Medical Center, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and The Queen’s Medical Center West Oahu.

The first five trays went to Oahu based on preorder and refrigeration capacity.

“We had to make sure that people had already well-established in advance, assured, very low temperature freezers, otherwise the vaccine becomes, as you know, useless,” he said.

Next week, Green said the state expects to receive “a lot” of the vaccine.

“It looks like in the next seven to 14 days, we’ll get about 23 additional trays. So, you’ll see how the thousands and thousands of vaccines open up,” he said, later commenting that he himself is slated to be inoculated next week.

Many of those 23 trays are going to the neighbor islands, including Kona Community Hospital, Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital, Maui Memorial Hospital and facilities on Kauai, Green said.

Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea had a less definite estimated time of arrival for the vaccine than Kona, anticipated receiving the vaccine for its staff “next week or the following week.”

“Actual vaccinations would begin a day or so afterwards depending on the arrival of the ancillary supply box,” said Lynn Scully, marketing and communications manager.

As reported earlier this week, Hilo Medical Center is expected to receive one tray of 975 doses on Monday, according to spokeswoman Elena Cabatu.

“We are preparing our vaccine clinic to administer our vaccines to our employees who are willing to take it,” she said Wednesday.

By the end of December, the state is set to receive 47 trays, each containing 975 doses, of the vaccine from Pfizer, according to Green. An additional 26,000 doses could come from Moderna, should the company’s vaccine receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval Thursday.

“These things are going to be very available as long as people are somewhat patient,” Green said, pointing to the state’s plan for vaccinating the populace. “We will get the 1a category done, and then we’ll begin to move into the other categories. So, expect to see this roll out a little slowly in the first few days and then get really ramped up in week two, three and four.”

According to the Hawaii COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, 883,600 people in Hawaii would be vaccinated during the first three stages followed by anyone who did not have access during previous allocation stages.

Green estimated Wednesday about 70% of Hawaii’s population will elect to get the vaccine.

“That’s about 980,000 people (in Hawaii). And then we’re going to be essentially immune as a state, but it’s a lot of work,” he said.

The first stage, which includes two phases, covers high-risk health workers and first-responders followed by people with comorbidities and underlying health conditions that put them at high risk and adults over age 65 living in “overcrowded settings.” An estimated 121,000 will be vaccinated during stages 1a and 1b.

That stage is anticipated to take up to two months to complete, he said pointing to the current requirement of a second shot several weeks after the first.

Stage two includes K-12 teachers and school staff; critical risk workers; people with comorbidities and underlying health conditions that put them at moderately high risk; people in homeless shelters or group homes; incarcerated individuals and staff at incarceration facilities; and all adults over age 65. An estimated 450,000 people would be vaccinated during stage two.

“Let’s say maybe your dad has high blood pressure and diabetes, and he’s 57 years old. He will be a classic phase 2 person. They’ll be contacted by his doctor,” said Green adding the state will hold community clinics and vaccination centers, as well as host various outreach campaigns to reach the populace. “That’s likely another two, three months from now where all that category is vaccinated.”

In the third stage, an additional 403,000 people would be vaccinated, including young adults between age 18 and 24 and children up to age 17. Workers in industries and occupations not included in earlier stages would also be inoculated.

“If you’re healthy, 35 years old and you don’t have any worries, you’ll be in phase 3, and that’s when just thousands and thousands of remaining people will get the vaccine — probably late spring,” Green said. “Kids will come last because, right now, they’re finishing the studies, and they’re at the very lowest risk category.”

The fourth stage would work to vaccinate an undetermined number of Hawaii residents who did not have access to or receive a vaccination during the earlier stages.

By summertime, it’s anticipated everyone who wants an immunization will be able to get one, Green said.

“I think July Fourth is a real reasonable time where we could have so many people vaccinated that we begin psychologically to think, ‘OK. Most of us are safe;’ probably still should wear a mask when we’re at gatherings, wear them in more big public places, but we will begin to put it behind us,” he said. “I think that is very possible.”

When people will have to get vaccinated again remains unclear.

“We expect it to last no less than a year,” Green said, adding studies are ongoing, though Pfizer has indicated the vaccine could last up to two years.

However, he also noted the flu shot is required each year due to mutations while the pneumonia vaccine is only needed every 10 years.

“It’s going to be somewhere in between there,” he said. “We’ll know the data by fall because millions of people are getting vaccinated and then subsequently studied.”

COVID Taking Emotional Toll on Hawai‘i Island Keiki

COVID Taking Emotional Toll on Hawai‘i Island Keiki

By Tiffany DeMasters
November 25, 2020, 4:20 PM HST (Updated November 25, 2020, 4:23 PM)
https://bigislandnow.com/2020/11/25/covid-taking-emotional-toll-on-hawaii-island-keiki/

Hawai‘i Island keiki in a mental health crisis are waiting days for inpatient treatment as the demand for services has grown and the already limited resources are strained.

Emergency department (ED) directors from Kona Community Hospital and Hilo Medical Center attested to the rise in the number of juveniles experiencing depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, restricting large gatherings, keeping students out of classrooms and upending youths’ social lives.

“Prior to COVID, you’d see maybe one or two pediatric (mental health) complaints in the ED. It’s definitely increased since the start of COVID,” said Toni Higa, HMC Emergency Department Nurse Manager. “Now, it’s not uncommon for us to see a handful in a week’s period.”

The pandemic has exacerbated an already strained inpatient care system due to unavailable bed space and temporarily halting admittance to stem the spread of the virus, said Richard Mears, Behavioral Health Nurse Manager at KCH. Both HMC and KCH say children can spend days in the emergency department just waiting for a bed to open up on O‘ahu.

“We’ve had kids waiting five to six days,” said Audrey McCandless, medical director for the emergency department at KCH, told Big Island Now.

Just in the past week, Higa said, HMC had two instances where children had to wait a week to fly out to O‘ahu for treatment. One was a teenager and another was under the age of 10.

How to get help:
Click here for Behavioral Health Specialist Support at the schools.
Statewide crisis hotline is 800-753-6879. People can also text “Aloha” to 741741.
Hawai‘i Keiki at 844-436-3888.

McCandless said the hospital is seeing an increase in children between the ages of 12 and 15 suffering from depression, anxiety, and behavioral issues.

“I can’t say the rise is specifically due to COVID,” McCandless explained. “(However), something has changed, and that’s the most obvious reason.”

Routine Disrupted

The Department of Education moved to a virtual learning model after spring break of the 2019-20 school year. There were no graduation ceremonies, parties, or May Day celebrations.

While the DOE started the 2020-21 school year in a blended learning model, providing in-person and distance learning instruction, area complexes had to readjust their plans after reports surfaced of students and teachers coming down with the virus statewide.

Kelly Stern, District Educational Specialist for School-Based Behavioral Health at the West Hawai‘i Complex Area, said each school in the complex has a different learning model they’re following.

Despite the virtual learning atmosphere, counselors continue to reach out to children who might be in need. In a normal school year, counselors see a lot of kids. While the numbers haven’t really changed, they are still worried about the students.

“Since we’ve gone into a virtual platform, we’re concerned because there are kids we’ve had no contact with and don’t know why,” Stern said.

Additionally, children who normally excel in school are showing signs of anxiety and depression.

“I think any of us parents who are having to help our children with distance learning can attest to the fact that it’s stressful,” Higa said. “It’s a break in their routine, and they don’t have the outlets and social interactions.”

Higa said the emergency department at HMC is treating a lot of depression and anxiety in minors who are being brought in for treatment.

“There’s a good portion of kids who come in who already have a history of mental illness,” she explained. “They’re having a lot of anxiety and trouble coping.”

McCandless noted this is a critical time for children, especially middle schoolers, as they are learning who they are as people.

“Teens build their lives around their peers,” McCandless said. “They’re developmental job is to distance themselves from parents.”

Resources are Limited

It is common for parents to bring their children to the hospital if they are suffering from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or behavioral issues. With no inpatient facility on the Big Island to help keiki in crisis, the only two places available statewide are on O‘ahu — Kāhi Mōhala and Queen’s Medical Center.

“(Parents) bring them to the hospital because they don’t know what to do,” McCandless said.

Behavioral health centers at KCH and HMC don’t have beds available for juveniles. As a result, the hospitals rely on community partners to assist youth in crisis. Since there are no mental health resources for children, Mears said, the hospital is assisted by mostly private practitioners.

Jessica Stevens, HMC’s Behavioral Health Nurse Manager, said these community partners were already at their max for servicing the public before COVID. The virus has added an even higher level of demand.

In ordinary circumstances, Stevens explained, it’s not uncommon for people to make appointments with doctors or therapists and have visits be scheduled months in advance.

“You add a pandemic and this is what we have — our resources are just maxed to the brink whether it be outpatient (or) inpatient,” Stevens explained.

How to Help

With few resources in place, McCandless encourages parents to pay attention to what their kids are saying.

“Don’t blow off what they’re telling you as teenage angst,” McCandless said. “Expressing suicidal thoughts is not normal teenage behavior.”

On a county level, McCandless added there needs to be a plan on how to get kids back to school safely.

Higa thinks it’s important that children and adults stick to a routine and talk about what’s stressing them out.

Stevens said some red flags to watch for are a change in someone’s appetite, if they’re withdrawn, and if things like hobbies no longer bring them joy.

Stevens added no one foresaw how long the pandemic would impact everyone’s lives.

“We’re in uncharted territory,” she said.

“With COVID, people feel isolated, they feel alone, and it’s hard even trying to get follow-up appointments with doctors,” Stevens said, adding people should maintain their family connections.

“We may not be able to have face-to-face inaction, but still try to keep in contact,” she suggested. “Times are hard for everybody. The reality is we need to be mindful and just help ourselves get through it.”

The schools are also finding ways to be proactive and help children who are struggling. Stern said teachers are going through training to recognize anxiety or depression. Teachers have also been referring students to counselors.

Parents may always check in with a school counselor if they have concerns about their children. Click here for Behavioral Health Specialist Support at the schools.

The statewide crisis hotline is 800-753-6879. People can also text “Aloha” to 741741.

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First urology specialist in a decade opens shop in Kona

First urology specialist in a decade opens shop in Kona

By Laura Ruminski West Hawaii Today lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com | Monday, November 2, 2020, 12:05 a.m.

https://www.w

esthawaiitoday.com/2020/11/02/hawaii-news/first-urology-specialist-in-a-decade-opens-shop-in-kona/

 

Alii Health Center welcomed the first full-time urologist to practice in West Hawaii in nearly 10 years. Previously, patients would have

to wait for visiting physicians to hold a clinic in Hilo or Kona and fly to Honolulu for procedures.

Dr. Jeffrey Palmgren has been a practicing urologist since 2009 and began treating

patients September in Kona.

“I finished my urology residency in 2009, and after graduation, did a three year stint in the Navy — the last year in Afghanistan,” Palmgren recalled. “My wife, who was a Navy nurse, said it was time to get out, so we started a practice in Oregon.”

When they knew it was time for a change, they considered Kona since they previously vacationed here. Even though Alii Health was not actively recruiting a urologist, Palmgren approached executive director Clayton McGhan to see if he was interested in having him join their team.

“He (McGhan) told me about his vision for Alii, bringing good quality specialty care to Kona, without people having to travel. We wanted to go somewhere where we could make a change and make a difference. We looked at mission trips and third-world places, but after talking to (McGhan) we saw the need and knew we could do a lot of good here.”

Palmgren has three daughters, ages 3, 5 and 15.

His practice has been booming. His first referrals came from physicians in Honolulu who were treating West Hawaii men. “My family really pushed the idea of coming to Hawaii. The community atmosphere is something we really wanted to raise our kids in,” he said. “We wanted them to be outdoorsy. We are into surfing and fishing and we are outside all the time, so this really fit for us.”

“We got flooded with all of those referrals and I’m seeing how much disease and how much people have been putting off urology health care for a while,” he said after only working for eight weeks.

He is also doing outreach, educating primary care providers in some of the things they can do.

“Now we are already booked into December and are already talking about expansion,” Palmgren said. He added they are hoping to add another urologist and perhaps a physician assistant in the future.

“You’re dealing with men and multiple different cultures and a lot of times, urinary symptoms are something people just don’t talk about,” he explained. “I always congratulate the guys who come in, usually by the urging of their wives, eventually they come in but for a good portion of them, I wish they would have come in a lot sooner.”

He explained that a lot of men start having the problem of frequency of urination, start seeing a lot of urgency to get to the bathroom and getting up several times throughout the night with a weak stream and think it’s just part of aging.

“I want people to know when you start having those symptoms, don’t wait. Talk to your primary doctor and see what your options are because when we are talking about urinary symptoms you can have things as bad as prostate cancer, but benign enlargement of the prostate (BPH) is far more common,” he stated. “The sooner you can get treatment for cancer or an enlarged prostate the easier the treatments are and the impacts on your life is so much better.”

He said if left untreated, patients could start getting bladder damage, become susceptible to infections, develop stones and advance to kidney damage.

“I recommend routine check-ups sooner than later,” he said.

“I finished my urology residency in 2009, and after graduation, did a three year stint in the Navy — the last year in Afghanistan,” Palmgren recalled. “My wife, who was a Navy nurse, said it was time to get out, so we started a practice in Oregon.”

When they knew it was time for a change, they considered Kona since they previously vacationed here. Even though Alii Health was not actively recruiting a urologist, Palmgren approached executive director Clayton McGhan to see if he was interested in having him join their team.

“He (McGhan) told me about his vision for Alii, bringing good quality specialty care to Kona, without people having to travel. We wanted to go somewhere where we could make a change and make a difference. We looked at mission trips and third-world places, but after talking to (McGhan) we saw the need and knew we could do a lot of good here.”

Palmgren has three daughters, ages 3, 5 and 15.

“My family really pushed the idea of coming to Hawaii. The community atmosphere is something we really wanted to raise our kids in,” he said. “We wanted them to be outdoorsy. We are into surfing and fishing and we are outside all the time, so this really fit for us.”

His practice has been booming. His first referrals came from physicians in Honolulu who were treating West Hawaii men.

“We got flooded with all of those referrals and I’m seeing how much disease and how much people have been putting off urology health care for a while,” he said after only working for eight weeks.

He is also doing outreach, educating primary care providers in some of the things they can do.

“Now we are already booked into December and are already talking about expansion,” Palmgren said. He added they are hoping to add another urologist and perhaps a physician assistant in the future.

“You’re dealing with men and multiple different cultures and a lot of times, urinary symptoms are something people just don’t talk about,” he explained. “I always congratulate the guys who come in, usually by the urging of their wives, eventually they come in but for a good portion of them, I wish they would have come in a lot sooner.”

He explained that a lot of men start having the problem of frequency of urination, start seeing a lot of urgency to get to the bathroom and getting up several times throughout the night with a weak stream and think it’s just part of aging.

“I want people to know when you start having those symptoms, don’t wait. Talk to your primary doctor and see what your options are because when we are talking about urinary symptoms you can have things as bad as prostate cancer, but benign enlargement of the prostate (BPH) is far more common,” he stated. “The sooner you can get treatment for cancer or an enlarged prostate the easier the treatments are and the impacts on your life is so much better.”

He said if left untreated, patients could start getting bladder damage, become susceptible to infections, develop stones and advance to kidney damage.

“I recommend routine check-ups sooner than later,” he said.

Palmgren is the only urologist on the island to use the Urolift, a minimally invasive treatment for enlarged prostates. Performed as a same-day outpatient procedure, including the office setting under local anesthesia. The length of the procedure varies based on the patient’s anatomy and number of prostatic implants required. It is a proven, minimally invasive approach to treating enlarged prostate that may allow men to get off BPH medications and avoid major surgery. Patients can experience rapid symptom relief, recover from the procedure quickly, and return to their normal routines with minimal downtime, patients can return to normal activity in days.

“Since coming to Kona, the outreach and welcoming from the community has been amazing,” he said.