Wai’ anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (Wai’ anae, HI).

PROJECT NAME: Ho`opulapula Project.  (The term “Ho‘opulapula” means to generate seedlings or cuttings; to multiply.)

Project Overview:  The  goal  of the Ho‘opulapula project    at the Wai’ anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center  (WCCHC) is  to develop  and  expand a community-designed training program for Leeward Coast residents and WCCHC employees that identifies and addresses unique skills expected of a well-rounded and dynamic WCCHC employee and that embodies the philosophy of growing our own healers”.

Project Objectives:

Objective 1: Increase access to cross-training and professional development opportunities for WCCHC employees.

Objective 2: Provide a community based externship centered on the Hawaiian Health Care Home  model  for  vocational  trainees  that  develops  a  competitive  recruitment  pool  of qualified entry-level applicants.

Objective 3: Increase opportunities for veterans to receive certificate training in Health Care vocations.

Grant Activities:

All identified grant objectives were accomplished over the course of the program.  Specific activities included:

  • Identification of  specific work skills in Information Technology that will improve work department and clinic efficiency and service quality.
  • Development of  a curriculum and skills checklist to address the identified skills gaps and develops IT Kulana Po’okela (super-users) through inter-department cross training.
  • Development  and implementation of  a Medical Reimbursement Specialist internship component through and exclusive partnership with Leeward Community College.
  • Implementation of  Wai`anae Health Academy’s program offering of the Medical Reimbursement program. Provide academic case management and career counseling services for all cross- training and internship participants.

Project outcomes: 

64 WCCHC employees  successfully completed the RCHN KP trainings; 13 IT department staff enrolled and successfully completed the HITPro Certification course,  54  participated  in  Microsoft  Academy(2007),  24 participated in Trouble Shooting.

Partnership was developed between HPP with the University of Hawaii (UH)-Leeward Community College Waianae (LCC-W), Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Development (OCEWD) to create an externship component to the  Medical Reimbursement Specialist program (MRS,) enhancing the goal of a Health Career Training Pipeline at WCCHC.

8-week Medical Reimbursement Specialist (MRS) program at the Waianae Health Academy completed by 13 participants, including specifically recruited 5 veterans from the community .

Supplemental enrichment trainings were designed to enhance the current training framework; 239 WCCHC employees participated in at least one form of the following HPP enrichment trainings:

  • Financial Literacy workshop; Patient Centered Engagement;
  • Health Information & technology; Professional Keyboarding Course
  • Stress Management Workshop ; Dealing with Difficult People training; Kapa-making workshop;
  • Email Etiquette; Infusing Cultural Concepts: Cultural competencies Film screening.

Academic case management and career counseling services were offered by an assigned  Education Specialist to every HPP participant.

The Ho`opulapula Project has created and sustained formal working partnerships with the following Institutions and/or Organizations:

  • University of Hawaii (UH) –Leeward Community College (LCC-W), OCEWD- http://ocewd.org/
  • Hawaii Technology Institute (HTI)- www.hti.edu
  • Microsoft- http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/itacademy/default.aspx
  • Hawaii Community Assets (HCA) – http://hawaiiancommunity.net/erings and future grant funding potential.
  • Waianae Health Academy (WHA)- www.wcchc.com (Please select the LEARNING tab at top)

About the Grantee:

The Wai’anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center serves the medically underserved community of Wai’anae and surrounding communities in the Leeward and Central regions of the island of Oahu. Serving the community since 1972 when it started as a one-doctor office, the WCCHC is the largest, and oldest, of the fourteen community health centers in the state of Hawaii. In 2010, the center served 28,912 patients, the majority being Native Hawaiian (52%), followed by Asian and other Pacific Islanders (27%), and Caucasians (16%). Data shows that 67% of patients are at 100% of the federal poverty level or below, 13% are uninsured, and 55% are receiving coverage under QUEST, the state Medicaid program.

The vision of the founders of the health center — to offer comprehensive health services — has guided the development of services and activities provided today, which include: Adult Day Care, Case Management, Chronic Disease Management, Emergency Room Services (24 hours, 365 days/year), Exercise and Fitness Training & Walking Trails, Family Planning, Health Education, Health Career Training,  Health Emergency Liaison Program, Homeless Outreach, Integrated Healing (Weight Management, Pain Management, etc.), Laboratory, Mental Health Treatment, Native Hawaiian Healing (Lomilomi, Ho’oponopono, La’au Lapa’au, Pale Keiki, and Ha Ha), Nutrition Counseling, Patient Services, Pharmacy, Primary Care Clinics (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Women’s Health), Radiology, Mammography, Bone Density Screening, Specialists (General Surgery, Ophthalmology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopedics, Perinatology, Podiatry, Psychiatry, Psychology, Dermatology, and Chronic Pain Management), Substance Abuse Treatment, Women, Infant, and Children Program (WIC).

The Wai’anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center is a learning center that offers health career training to ensure a better future for the community, and it is a major economic provider in the community, employing 455 individuals, the majority of whom reside on the Wai’anae Coast.

Website: www.wcchc.com

Ho’opulapula Project Photo Montage