For 20 years, the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� ’s (JABSOM) has been on the frontlines of Hawaiʻi’s houselessness crisis, delivering free care while training the next generation of physicians.

Founded in 2005 by Jill Omori, JABSOM‘s director of the Office of Medical Education, H.O.M.E. began as a single tent clinic.

Health isn’t just about medicine. It’s about wellbeing,
—Jill Omori

“When I was a student, I wanted experiences like this, and there was nothing,” Omori said. “When we started, we were in a tent with shower curtains for walls.”

Today, the program operates multiple mobile clinics and one brick-and-mortar site in Iwilei, serving hundreds each year. Students provide wound care, checkups and specialty services, while also connecting patients to food, housing and income support.

“The mission of H.O.M.E. is to provide the basic human right of healthcare,” said third-year JABSOM student Philip Lee. “We as medical students learn to take a patient history, perform exams and build rapport. We’re not just treating the disease, we’re treating them as a person.”

The clinics have helped ease pressure on Hawaiʻi’s healthcare system. Omori noticed that on the days they had clinics in certain areas, there were fewer EMS calls at that time.

Beyond medical care, H.O.M.E. runs annual drives for school supplies, holiday meals and gifts for mothers. “Health isn’t just about medicine. It’s about wellbeing,” Omori said.

As the project celebrates its 20th year, Omori hopes one day such services won’t be needed.

“For a long time we were the only ones providing truly free care,” she said. “Our program fills a very big need in our community.”

Lee added, “At the end of the day, we all pursue medicine because we love people. H.O.M.E. reminds you of that every day.”

.

University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� student Yasmeen LaTore has been named by (IHS) to lead the ʻImi Ola Piha Homeless Triage Center as program manager, helping Oʻahu homeless patients to ‘seek one’s fullest life’ when doors open in early April, while completing her (DNP) at the (NAWSON). Focal to her capstone DNP project, is developing a training program module for onboarding new health services staff at IHS.

Since 2018, LaTore’s caring nature has prompted her to integrate her nursing education into various roles at IHS, supporting patients to manage their mental illness and substance abuse, providing COVID-19 care and serving as community liaison nursing for recently housed individuals. As lead for the new triage center, the first of its kind in the state, LaTore will be managing community-based medication-assisted detox for substance withdrawal. She will help initiate psychiatric treatment that are considered best practice with unsheltered chronically homeless when their situational circumstances are considered.

LaTore started at NAWSON as a student in the (GEPN), a post-baccalaureate program that provides a seamless pathway for non-nursing degree students to earn either their master of science in nursing (MSN) or DNP.

“IHS truly has a heart for these incredibly vulnerable persons, and we’ve put careful consideration into building a team of professionals to provide quality medical and behavioral health care to help these patients begin their journey of healing,” said Latore. “I feel so fortunate to be a part of this wonderful team and to help these patients ‘seek one’s fullest life’—ʻImi Ola Piha.”

Training standard for building cultural sensitivity

In developing her training module, LaTore worked closely with fellow NAWSON alumnae, IHS Executive Director Connie Mitchell (BSN, MSN), a , and IHS Chief Administrative Officer Leina Ijacic (BSN).

Yasmeen’s training module has become a standard for enhancing cultural sensitivity when working with people experiencing homelessness
—Connie Mitchell

“Yasmeen’s training module has become a standard for enhancing cultural sensitivity when working with people experiencing homelessness,” said Mitchell. “We are so much more effective at engaging people in managing their own health, when we are attuned to their feelings and priorities while living unsheltered or experiencing housing instability.”

LaTore agreed that individuals experiencing homelessness have unique challenges accessing and implementing treatment. She said, “As a new nurse providing care for this vulnerable population, I realized that healthcare staff often don’t learn about or make adaptations to practice that can improve the outcomes of care afforded to homeless patients. My DNP project aims to fill that gap in knowledge and provide additional training to providers. Bias, judgment and discrimination are commonly cited reasons for homeless persons neglecting care.”

In addition to new staff, including nurses, physicians, counselors and case managers, the training will also be used for students who come to IHS for their internship experiences.

LaTore is hopeful through this new training standard that homeless patients will feel seen and cared for, and that providers make modifications to account for the practical challenges due to the experience of homelessness.

Formative experiences at NAWSON

LaTore will earn her DNP in August and participate in the spring commencement ceremony. She is thankful for the experiences NAWSON has afforded her.

“As a GEPN student, I had no previous nursing experience, I can vividly recall being nervous to take a patient’s blood pressure,” said LaTore. “The education I received at NAWSON and its supportive faculty members has equipped me with the nursing care and clinical decision making skills that have allowed me to operate at the highest level of the nursing scope of practice.”

Ijacic, who constantly seeks to resource innovations in her role at IHS for the last three years, said “My ����Vlog�ٷ� nursing education provided the foundation for the decisions I make daily. My senior capstone project covered clinical quality improvement and patient safety. It taught me about the administration of running a healthcare facility. The hands-on clinical training exposed me to the major healthcare systems in Hawaiʻi, the importance of culturally competent care and how programs work best when we tailor them for our Hawaiʻi community.”

Mitchell, who has led IHS for nearly 17 years, also credits her ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� nursing experience for shaping the way she approaches life.

“It [nursing education at NAWSON] has served me well throughout my professional life, no matter where I found myself. I often remember the challenge imparted to me by one of my instructors about not only caring for individual patient needs, but to offer leadership when opportunities arise to shape the health of our community,” she said. “I’m reminded of that challenge everyday at IHS, whether we’re provide access to basic needs like food, hot showers, and a safe place to sleep; or when we fight for access to mental health treatment at the Legislature for those who can’t do so themselves, or when we’re advocating for changes in practice standards with health plans or government policy makers.”

—By Arlene Abiang

Homeless activists on Oʻahu are taking charge of the growing issue in the islands and tackling problems on their own terms. The University of Hawaiʻi’s seeks to amplify some of those voices and spotlight initiatives from Waiʻanae to Waimānalo.

The livestream conversation, Finding Home, Building Community, will be held on Friday, September 17 at 3 p.m. The forum will explore how a new generation of grassroots leaders are paving a path for finding homes and building community. The livestream event is open to the public. (.)

“If we build the right relationships, houseless people can be part of the solution, instead of people seeing us only as a problem,” said Twinkle Borges, an activist with Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae, a village that has come together on state land on the shoreline near the Waiʻanae Boat Harbor.

Borges will be featured on the forum, alongside Jessy Freddy Francis (We Are Oceania); Tina Grandinetti, ����Vlog�ٷ� alumna who works at the state Legislature; Ronette Kawakami, associate dean at the ; James Koshiba (Hui Aloha); Blanche Macmillan (Hui Mahiaʻi Aina); and Lindsay Pacheco (Ka Poʻe O Kakaʻako).

Maya Soetoro-Ng, ����Vlog�ٷ� faculty with the , will serve as moderator.

“Houselessness is a complex problem and requires many solutions,” explained Soetoro-Ng. “This is a chance for us to examine some of the solutions that are really working, in which unsheltered families are coming together and building their own communities from the ground up.”

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series is a joint venture of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, Kamehameha Schools and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

Lead sponsors for this forum include the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and the William S. Richardson School of Law. Co-sponsors include Ceeds of Peace and the College of Social Sciences.

For more information, visit the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Better Tomorrow Speaker Series website or email btss@hawaii.edu.

Formerly houseless Native Hawaiian and Micronesian families and their successful journey to obtain stable housing is the focus of a new pilot study by social work researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�. The study, published in the April 27 issue of , used a strengths-based perspective to understand their improved living situations and showed similar themes of strength within their stories.

Assistant Professor Francie J. Julien-Chinn and PhD candidate Mei Linn N. Park of the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health conducted narrative interviews and analyzed the collected stories of four families, thematically utilizing a family resiliency framework. Through in-depth, qualitative interviews, researchers provided space for families to tell their stories about their challenges, strengths and protective factors related to being houseless.

Protective and resilience factors

The results were consistent with the hypothesized theoretical framework, which identified protective and resilience factors, such as social support, initiative, insight, spirituality, creativity, commitment and hope. In addition to these themes, the study revealed a preference for the term “houseless” over “homeless,” a predominant connection to the ʻāina (land) and the impact of trauma.

“Recollecting and reflecting on being formerly houseless can be retraumatizing; however, acknowledging the impacts of historical trauma such as the loss of ʻāina and honoring cultural strengths such as the deep connection and relationship with the ʻāina seemed to empower participants’ sense of resiliency within their stories,” said Park, a doctoral student in ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s .

“It is hard, for some, to think that houseless individuals or families can be seen as resilient. However, these brave and vulnerable stories deserve to be heard. Houselessness is a structural concern that needs immediate attention. There is much more to learn from this population to better understand and support the houseless crisis,” added Julien-Chinn.

This research is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

Last May, the University of Hawaiʻi began a partnership with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) to train Community Health Workers (CHWs) as part of the DOH-����Vlog�ٷ� Contact Tracing Training Program and the in an effort to enhance health outreach in high-risk communities affected by COVID-19. A year later in May, nearly 150 students statewide will have earned their certification training through the ����Vlog�ٷ� online program, and have been or will be ready to play a vital role in the state’s response to the ongoing pandemic.

CHWs draw on our own resiliency building experiences to help other individuals navigate and heal
—Lia Thorne

As CHWs, these trainees have the skills to help connect disadvantaged populations with health care providers and community resources to improve the quality of their health and lives. These populations include the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities, as well as uninsured and homeless individuals. CHWs are trusted advocates for their patients who oftentimes do not know where to turn to for help.

“Hawaiʻi is blessed with a rich and diverse population and afflicted with stark health inequities,” said CJ Johnson, DOH COVID-19 Outreach and Public Health Education community liaison. “As the Department of Health and its community partners rise to the formidable challenge of a vaccination campaign without any precedent in its scale and urgency, the importance of community health workers has never been clearer. The professional and lived experience they bring to the table ensures that our plans include community voices and address community needs.”

Helping to end homelessness

Martha Boyd is a CHW with the Queen’s Care Coalition (QCC). Boyd has been with the coalition since it began operating in 2018 and was able to complete the ����Vlog�ٷ� program while she was employed. “What I learned at ����Vlog�ٷ� was priceless! I could take what I learned in school and immediately apply it to my patients I was seeing in the community,” she said.

At Queen’s, Boyd works with patients who are usually homeless, uninsured or underinsured. She assists up to 12 patients at a time for about 90 days, depending on the cases. “They come to the Emergency Department for colds, food or clothing because they do not know about resources in the community that can help them,” she explained. “I offer shelter options, food bank options, clothing, connection to insurance services, connections to a primary care doctor, and often accompany them to doctors appointments.”

“When I do this, the patient is not viewed as a ‘homeless, non-compliant patient,’ but as a ‘human being’ that needs care,” she said. “This changes the way doctors and staff respond to the patient.”

Boyd said their work at QCC is important “to really help end homelessness in Hawaiʻi, by trying to get our patients in housing, shelters and help with their problems, whether it is mental health, no money or no family connections.”

According to Boyd, some patients are not aware of COVID-19 or are resistant to getting vaccinated. To address their questions and concerns, she provides them with information from the CDC or consults with her medical director to make sure they have the facts and answers to help them make an informed decision.

“I don’t try to change their minds. The patient is still capable of making their own medical decisions,” she said. “My care for the patient is driven by what the patient desires and wants, not me ‘making’ them do what I want.”

Due to COVID-19, Boyd and her colleagues have adapted in the way they deal with their patients. While face-to-face interactions have been minimized, creative solutions have helped them build and sustain the relationships with their patients, including buying them cell phones so they can keep their telephonic appointments with doctors. According to QCC, the average cost savings per patient served through the QCC program is about 40%.

Addressing vaccine mistrust

Another ����Vlog�ٷ� program graduate, Lia Thorne, serves as a CHW with HMSA and focuses on Quest HMSA members. Thorne provides members with services ranging from weekly touch-base phone calls to assisting them in navigating public programs, such as applying for federal , formerly known as Food Stamps, and/or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. Her caseload can be as high as 25 patients at a time.

Thorne has extensive experience working at various health care systems across the island. She notes that while the role of CHWs has been brought to the forefront even more during COVID-19, they have been involved in patient care for as long as medical and health existed.

“We do not possess all knowledge, but we do possess the bonds that tie us to our communities,” she said. “We are a key component in the continuity of patient care because we have close relationships with those cultures and communities that we personally identify with, live in and serve.”

With regard to COVID-19 vaccinations, Thorne said she hears a lot of mistrust issues from members, including how vaccines are made, difficulty with understanding the different vaccination tiers, and concerns about how policy decisions were made. “Many people feel disgruntled about having to wait for a vaccination. Relaying accurate information is vital to bringing about understanding and trust,” she said.

Thorne provides members with visual aids that can be found on trusted sites such as CDC and DOH, especially in other languages. This sometimes leads her to sharing and educating members about using the internet, and accessing apps on their smartphones. She knows it’s important work, and part of her role as a CHW.

“The reality is this–[due to COVID-19] every human being on this planet now has a shared traumatic experience. CHWs draw on our own resiliency building experiences to help other individuals navigate and heal,” Thorne said.

More on CHW certificate program

The CHW program is a certificate program that can be completed in one or two semesters. The statewide program is accessible at . Additional programs are offered at and . Courses include: CHW fundamentals, counseling and interviewing, health promotion and disease prevention, case management, an in-person practicum component and COVID-19 health clinical training.

Interested students may visit the respective ����Vlog�ٷ� community college websites to .

—By Arlene Abiang

Support from the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� (UROP) has allowed students and faculty to pursue their academic goals in research subjects as diverse as understanding homeless behaviors to the reemergence of a kind of folk music in Japan. UROP is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020. The following three projects have been supported by UROP in the past year.

Understanding homelessness in Hawaiʻi

Bryce Dolph, a senior major, observed an individual experiencing homelessness outside of his residence, who exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia, and often had dirty bandages and visible ulcers. Dolph thought about how this person was in no condition to be living on the street and wondered how many others are in similar situations. With the guidance of Associate Professor John (Jack) Barile, Dolph’s project aims to understand the disparities individuals who experience homelessness encounter, how individuals become homeless and learn about their accessibility to resources.

“There is stigma surrounding people experiencing homelessness who engage in compulsory behavior in public, and it is common to think, ‘oh, they’re just crazy,’ without considering the circumstances they endured prior to and while experiencing homelessness,” Dolph said. “The data from this project will go on to provide advocacy about how environmental factors alongside access to needed resources may influence the quality of life for this population.”

Dolph received a research stipend from allowing him to take a break from his second job and focus on his project. Dolph aspires to be a psychiatrist specializing in helping those who are in disadvantaged situations.

Shimauta folk music

Iroha Mochida, a senior major, spent her childhood in Tokunoshima, one of eight Amami Islands in Japan. There, she studied Shimauta, traditional folk music that has been transmitted orally for centuries. While it experienced a serious decline during the middle to the late 20th century, the music has been revitalized by modern singers. Mochida’s project explores the role of online media in contemporary Shimauta culture through interviews, surveys and interpreting different online media sources. Under the guidance of Anna Stirr, an associate professor and project mentor, Mochida also received support from .

“UROP has provided a huge support for me to pursue my academic interest,” Mochida said. “I am really grateful that I am conducting my own research project on Shimauta, which I had been hoping to do since my freshman year. They offer financial support as a research scholarship, and it helped me to purchase relevant sources such as academic books, journals and a subscription of newspapers. The UROP staff is always accessible.”

Project funding applications open

UROP is accepting project funding applications from students conducting or planning to conduct faculty-mentored research or creative work beginning in summer or fall 2021. If selected, funding may cover materials, supplies, travel, stipend and other costs. UROP provides up to $5,000 for a project conducted by one student and up to $10,000 for a group project. The deadline for applications is March 3. To apply or for more information, .

Faculty mentoring grant

UROP’s faculty mentoring grant supported Assistant Professor Christopher Muir to develop to process and validate photosynthesis data. Scientists currently use a system to measure how much energy leaves gain from sunlight and R is one of the most common languages for statistical computing, especially in biology. However, there are no standardized tools to get the data into the R programming language. With the help from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� student Daniel Trupp, Muir wanted to create a software that was more reliable.

“We put the software online and spread the word via social media,” Muir said. “We got a good response, but no major bugs yet. I have been using it in my research and would like to make some more additions before eventually releasing a stable version.”

UROP is currently accepting applications for its 2021 Faculty Mentoring Grant for Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Work. Up to $75,000 in grants will be awarded to eligible faculty who will mentor ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� undergraduate students conducting research and creative work projects in summer 2021. The funds are intended to increase undergraduate student participation in summer research and creative work, including the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, a cohort-based program from June 3 to July 30, 2021. The deadline for applications is March 1. To apply or for more information, .

—By Marc Arakaki

To help address homelessness in Hawaiʻi and on University of Hawaiʻi campuses, ����Vlog�ٷ� is participating in the annual Point in Time (PIT) Count, a national census of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. This year, the date of the PIT Count is Monday, January 25, and for the first time, the university is proactively urging students at ����Vlog�ٷ�ʻs 10 campuses to participate. that will gather the count and important data. ����Vlog�ٷ� is partnering with , which has been overseeing the PIT Count in Hawaiʻi since 2003.

“This partnership represents an important step toward ending homelessness in our community,” said Anna Pruitt, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� research associate and affiliate faculty member in the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� . “Through this partnership, we are able to leverage university resources to meet community needs, which, in turn, can be used to improve campus life.”

The PIT Count has previously included individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness (sleeping in cars, on beaches and sidewalks) and sheltered homelessness (sleeping in emergency shelters).

This year, Partners in Care has expanded efforts to count individuals who may have been missed in previous years, specifically college students, and those who may be at-risk for homelessness and food insecurity, for example, those who are “couch surfing.” It’s an effort to expand prevention services and tailor existing services to extant needs. Pruitt has been working with Associate Professor Jack Barile and graduate research assistants Rachel Marshall and Marissa Minami with his in the Department of Psychology on this project.

Partners in Care will report the data to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. At the local level, Partners in Care, in collaboration with ����Vlog�ٷ� researchers, will analyze the survey responses and draft a report for the community. This information will be used by planning committees to develop new programming or expand existing resources to new areas. In particular, findings will be returned to the ����Vlog�ٷ� community along with suggestions on how to reduce housing and food insecurity among students. Any responses from the survey regarding neighbor islands will be shared with for Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Kauaʻi.

“We hope this project will extend beyond a description of housing and food insecurity in our community and will be used to develop interventions and systematic approaches to addressing these issues,” said Pruitt. “In particular, I hope that these results can inform prevention approaches that keep housing insecure students from falling into homelessness. As the research tells us, the best way to solve homelessness is to prevent it.”

Resources for individuals experiencing homelessness

If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, or domestic violence, the City and County of Honolulu has a (PDF) with contact information and resources.

Aloha United Way is also available for assistance and can be reached by calling 211.

As the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered many businesses and forced many into unemployment, the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� (JABSOM) worried how it would affect its annual Giving Tree, which fulfills Christmas wish lists of homeless keiki. This year, the ����Vlog�ٷ� (HOME) Project and the Family Medicine Interest Group took a digital route.

“Fortunately we moved everything online this year and we were able to reach a bigger part of the community and we got more donations than we have before,” said Amandalin Rock, a third-year medical student at JABSOM.

The community responded, fulfilling the wish lists of 380 homeless—the largest endeavor in the history of the giving tree at JABSOM.

“I’m just really touched that everybody has just been so generous and even after all the kids were sponsored I was getting calls from people wanting to donate and wanting to contribute to the program,” said HOME Project Founder and Director of the Office of Medical Education Jill Omori. “And so we’ve just been really blessed this year.”

JABSOM medical students and pre-medical student volunteers spent hours wrapping up gifts and getting them ready to be delivered to keiki across several Oʻahu shelters, including the Family Assessment Center in Kakaʻako, Onelauena and Onemalu Shelters in Kalaeloa, Kakaʻako Paiʻolu Kaiaulu Shelter in Waiʻanae, IHS Women’s and Children’s Shelter, Villages of Māʻili Shelter, and the boat harbor encampment in Waiʻanae.

This year, they also supplied gifts for some of the kids to give to their parents and made goodie bags for families containing food, hygiene products and emergency supplies (first-aid kits, flashlights, blankets, etc).

For more, go to the .

Former homeless youth who have spent an extensive period of time in foster care or experienced disruptions in their foster youth placements are at a significantly higher risk of engaging in detrimental risk-taking behaviors conducted by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work faculty Amanda Yoshioka-Maxwell. Both homeless youth and former foster youth face increased risk, but this study in particular takes into consideration youth who have experienced both homelessness and foster care.

These findings shed light on the importance of network engagement and how the characteristics affect behavioral health outcomes.

The data was collected during a two- to four-week interval over three periods of time from 2015 to 2016 at a drop-in center in Hollywood, California. The population consisted of 184 primarily male homeless foster youth that was mainly African American, Latino, and mixed-race, who were approximately 22-years-old.

“We already know that homeless former foster youth face higher rates of risk behavior compared to their peers without foster care experience, but we need to start focusing on the impact of social network engagement and how network connectivity plays a role in risk-taking behaviors,” said Yoshioka-Maxwell.

The participants were required to complete a risk-behavior questionnaire that was modeled after the YouthNet Study, and the Foster Care Experiences Assessment, a qualitative assessment created by Yoshioka-Maxwell that gathered information on the range of experiences among former youth, both during and after placement.

The data revealed that youth experiencing homelessness for the first time before exiting foster care were more likely to engage in condomless sex, and youth with higher numbers of foster care placements were more likely to engage in methamphetamine use. The findings are useful in targeting interventions for reducing risk among the population, perhaps indicating the point of intervention where types of social networks, and their associated risk, may be mitigated.

Although prior research has started to demonstrate high rates of poor behavioral health outcomes among homeless former foster youth, the population has actually received relatively little attention in scientific literature, in comparison to homeless youth and youth with foster care experiences. Future policy research is needed to better understand the long-term implications of child welfare policy on young adult homelessness.

Hawaiʻi residents have long struggled with the elevated cost of housing and high rates of homelessness. The devastating economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is now pressing more households to the edge. To help explore connections between poverty and housing policy, the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Matthew Desmond, a Princeton University professor.

The livestream interview, Hawaiʻi’s Coming Covid Eviction Crisis and How to Stop It on July 28 at 9 a.m. will highlight what can be done to prevent a surge of evictions.

“Hawaiʻi is about to enter a time of unprecedented hardship for poor and low-income families. The state Legislature has done more than anyone could have hoped to help preserve housing stability, allocating $85 million in rental assistance. But that money has to be spent by January 1. Desmond’s talk will present an opportunity for us to learn what else can be done to help families stay in their homes next month, next year, and for years to come,” said Philip Garboden, Hawaiʻi Community Reinvestment Corporation professor in affordable housing, and assistant professor in ����Vlog�ٷ�ERO and the in the .

Garboden and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Public Policy Center Director Colin Moore will also be featured in the livestream. “Hawaiʻi‘s most vulnerable residents are facing an unprecedented housing crisis. We’re fortunate to have Desmond, one of the world’s top scholars on housing insecurity and eviction, join us to discuss how we can assure that all people in Hawaiʻi have a safe and affordable place to live,” said Moore.

The livestream event is open to the public.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: Super Bowl champ/activist shares quest against racism, June 18, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the has also hosted virtual forums that showcase the issues surrounding Black Lives Matter. On June 17, author, humanitarian and NFL Super Bowl champion Michael Bennett was a featured panelist in Reclaiming Humanity: Racism, Violence, Resistance, Love moderated by Associate Professor Robert Perkinson.

For more on future events register on the website.

—By Moanikeʻala Nabarro

Challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in ever-changing information and guidance being given to behavioral health and homeless services providers, slowing down their ability to help vulnerable populations in Hawaiʻi during the crisis.

In an urgent effort, three state agencies mobilized and launched the (BHHSURG) with support from the . This groundbreaking initiative makes Hawaiʻi the only state to integrate behavioral health and homelessness in one place with a website that centralizes and unifies information. It coordinates resources given to providers, helping reduce confusion, which allows providers to assist their clients safely.

BHHSURG is an innovative partnership. The State Department of Health Behavioral Health Administration, the Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness and the State Department of Human Services Office of Homeless Programs with support from ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work and other partners have pooled resources and efforts to address long-standing gaps in the system of care for vulnerable populations.

“The platform is groundbreaking in the way it has been organized,” said Victoria Fan, ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa associate professor of public health. “It hasn’t been done before. We believe it will help many who are in need of these services. ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa has played a key role in organizing and disseminating critical information and resources to providers so that vulnerable populations can continue to receive services during this unprecedented time.”

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa experts have helped to develop the program on many levels including coordination and integration of resources through data and analytics, as well as other operational, logistical and communications support.

Undergraduate students have been helping by staying abreast of federal policies such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for testing and telehealth. Graduate students have been translating the information they find into operational and clinical tools that providers can use to help their clients.

—By Sarah Hendrix

For the first time, Hawaiʻi professionals have been chosen for the exclusive Robert Woods Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Clinical Scholars Program. Seven of those chosen are University of Hawaiʻi faculty.

is a national leadership development program for multidisciplinary health care providers who tackle complex health problems affecting their communities. The program funds projects with the ultimate goal of making America a healthier nation while developing a network of leaders.

This year, Hawaiʻi is the only state with two teams. The Hawaiʻi teams are focused on addressing issues on diabetes and housing insecurity as well as elderly health care.

(JABSOM) Assistant Professor Dee-Ann Carpenter leads the team, “Empowering Hawaiʻis Homeless: Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Education and Resilience Initiative.” Collaborating with Marjorie Mau (JABSOM), Camlyn Masuda (����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy), Aukahi Austin Seabury (I Ola Lāhui) and Francie Julien-Chinn (����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work), the team will be working with the JABSOM Hawaiʻi Homeless Outreach and Medical Education (HOME) Project to develop an education and resilience program for homeless people who are pre-diabetic or diabetic.

“We hope to be able to effectively train future students, residents, volunteers and shelter staff to be better prepared for serving the homeless populations who either have diabetes mellitus (DM) or are pre-diabetic,” said Carpenter. “In addition, this is a great opportunity to learn from a wonderful organization about leadership both as individuals and as a team. I personally am looking forward to this training.”

“The KOKUA Project: Kūpuna Outreach and Knowledge in Underserved Areas” team is led by Pia Lorenzo (JABSOM) in collaboration with Robin Miyamoto (JABSOM) and Chad Kawakami (����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy). Their project aims to improve the care of the kūpuna in underserved rural communities, especially since Hawaiʻi’s aging population is growing rapidly while the state does not have enough geriatric specialists to meet their complex needs.

“I’ve experienced first-hand the heartache of too many of our kūpuna falling through the cracks due to systems issues despite the best efforts of dedicated health care professionals. Being a part of the RWJF Clinical Scholars program enables our team to get in the trenches with our colleagues fighting the good fight in underserved community health care centers,” said Lorenzo. “But now, with the RWJF’s support, we are able to help in a different way, and hopefully, in a way that creates a bigger and more lasting impact.”

—By Deborah Manog Dimaya

The journey from her home in Līhuʻe to national recognition for her work at University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�’s (JABSOM) is rooted in the love Elisabeth Young has for her Kauaʻi community.

The JABSOM senior, who will graduate this May, says she was always curious about people and science. “In medicine, you’re always a student,” she said. “I think there are many ways to care for others and care for the community. For me, medicine was a tangible way to do that.”

Young received national recognition from two medical organizations. She was the winner of the 2017–2018 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service for her work in promoting health and safety in the community. In 2018, she also was selected by the American Medical Association to attend its first Foundation Leadership Development Institute in Chicago.

The aspiring doctor credits her humble upbringing in Līhuʻe for inspiring her. “Growing up on Kauaʻi in a community that is so caring, where people reach out if you need anything, I feel like medicine is an extension of that in the way that I would want to spend my work, in a way that was meaningful for my soul,” Young said.

Commitment to public health, a career in pediatrics

Young’s early education and experiences at JABSOM cultivated her commitment for public health and social justice. It gave her a foundation in the social determinants of health and made her curious about how physiology is affected by where people live, work, play and learn.

In her third year at JABSOM, Young made the difficult decision of taking a one-year leave of absence to expand her education in public health. She attended Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she earned her master’s degree in public health.

“Before graduating from medical school, I wanted tools to understand how populations are affected by health and how we’re able to change the systems in place so that everyone can be healthy,” she said. “I think that expanding myself in that way really broadened the way I look at an individual patient.”

When she returned to JABSOM, Young thought about what a career in pediatrics would look like. “What I care about most is recognizing that every person has an internal worth,” Young stated. “I’d like to invest in that so they can pursue what they want at a younger age, and specializing in pediatrics will allow me to be more fulfilled all around.”

Creating good doctors

Young volunteers several times a week with the project, spearheaded by JABSOM. Staffed by medical faculty volunteers and students, the mobile clinic provides free health care to homeless citizens at various locations on Oʻahu.

It’s where she is gaining valuable experience and where her passion for medicine and for caring for people is apparent. “Whatever patient presents themselves to the H.O.M.E. project, you’re there to say that you have worth, and I’m going to give you the same care that all people deserve,” she said.

For Young, JABSOM was the perfect fit for her medical training. It was not only clinically and academically rigorous, but it also helped her to realize she was capable of pursuing a career in medicine. She added, “The type of doctor that JABSOM wants to put forward are proactive leaders who possess the humility and compassion to meet their patients on a level-playing field.”

Returning to her roots

No matter where she does her next phase of post-graduate training, Young says Kauaʻi is where it all started for her and she wants to return to serve in that community. She speaks with a passion and deep appreciation for growing up in a place where people cared about each other so much.

She reflected back to a time when her family’s stove broke and they were cooking outside for awhile because they weren’t able to purchase another one. “One day, a Sears truck came by our home and dropped off a new stove. That kind of anonymous generosity, without any expectation of being recognized, is what makes Kauaʻi so uncommonly kind and so special,” Young shared. “It’s my desire to give back to the community that gave me so much. I want to pour into them as much as they poured into me.”

Young acknowledged her parents for being her greatest role models. She said, “ I hope to be as hard working, generous, honest, faithful and joyful as they continue to be. I couldn’t have done anything without their love.“

—By Arlene Abiang

A groundbreaking exhibit of photographs taken by people who have experienced homelessness, incorporating their impressions of the highly successful Housing First program, is now on display in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa through December 11.

Housing First is an approach that provides people who were experiencing homelessness with rapid housing placement, followed by support services, as needed. A 2016 ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa study found the program maintained a 97 percent retention rate in its first year.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: ����Vlog�ٷ� study finds Housing First program improves quality of life for homeless, July 8, 2016

The photovoice exhibit, “Lived Experiences: Out of Homelessness Into Housing,” was first staged at Honolulu Hale in 2016. Researchers from the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa captured visual testimonials, thoughts, emotions and life experiences of 20 Housing First participants.

Participants were given their own cameras and asked to record their everyday lives while in the program, then identified topics reflective of their collaborative experience of recently moving into housing within the first year of the program.

Researchers continued to meet throughout 2017 to co-author an article that reported findings from the Photovoice study. The article was published in the American Journal for Community Psychology in January 2018.

In December 2017, the group received a Society for Community Research and Action Community mini grant to conduct a follow-up photovoice study. The study took place between August and November of 2018.

From December 12, 2018, through January 11, 2019, the photos from the follow-up photovoice study will be on display in the Hamilton Library Bridge Gallery.

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

and the have donated $30,000 to the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� John A. Burns School of Medicine’s (HOME) project to purchase an electric vehicle. It will be used to transport homeless patients to medical and dental appointments.

The Hawaiʻi HOME project serves sheltered and unsheltered homeless at free clinics in seven sites across Oʻahu. Volunteers and medical students provide care for acute and chronic medical problems, preventative care, health education, dental and vision screening, minor procedures, resource management, labs and vaccines and free medications for the uninsured. More than 3,700 patients have received assistance since the project began.

Jill Omori, HOME project founder said, “While Hawaiʻi HOME Project provides care for the patients that it serves, many of our patients would benefit from specialty care and are in need of labs and imaging that we may not be able to provide at our clinic sites. By providing free transportation, we can significantly increase the amount of medical and dental services that our patients are receiving.”

“Hawaiian Electric and the HEI Charitable Foundation are happy to support the , its faculty and students, in providing assistance to some of the most vulnerable people in our community, especially the children,” said Brennon Morioka, Hawaiian Electric general manager for electrification of transportation.

For more on the donation, .

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� , and released the first comprehensive research study of its kind since the 1980s on homeless and runaway youth in Hawaiʻi. The study offers a detailed snapshot of homeless and unaccompanied youth on Oʻahu, allowing for a more current and relative understanding of this population’s experiences and service needs.

Homelessness among youth is a serious and complex problem, with research showing that youth aged 12–17 are at higher risk than adults of becoming homeless. Older youth between 18 and 24, considered as transition-aged youth, are one of the fastest growing homeless populations. Nationally, most of the unaccompanied youth (89 percent) in the point-in-time estimates of homelessness were between the ages of 18 and 24. Transition-aged youth are still developing as young adults and need support until they are able to care for themselves. They require unique housing and services that are different than those tailored for adults or families.

Hawaiʻi’s 2017 homeless point-in-time count reported 319 unaccompanied youth, with 82 percent of these youth living unsheltered and 92 percent of them between the ages of 18 and 24. In fiscal year 2016, the state’s homeless service system served a total of 624 unaccompanied youth and almost all of them (93.6 percent) were transition-aged youth. Among service users, unaccompanied youth aged 18–24 had the lowest rate of permanent housing placement with only 26.1 percent moving to a permanent home compared to 49 percent of all homeless service users.

The Street Youth Study includes data that describes the basic demographics, homeless and runaway experiences, risk factors, well-being and service utilization and needs of Oʻahu’s unaccompanied youth. The data paint a picture of street youth on Oʻahu, but only in broad strokes. Being able to accurately describe the breadth of youth homelessness across the state is imperative for providing effective supports that will transition youth from the streets and toward a brighter future.

For more on the Street Youth Study read the or .

Homelessness and inadequate housing are major causes of unnecessary hospitalizations, according to a study by University of Hawaiʻi researchers.

The study, is from an ongoing project to understand and reduce potentially preventable hospitalizations for diabetes and heart disease in Hawaiʻi.

Principal investigator and Associate Professor , says, “We were interested in patient perspectives on the role of housing as contributing to their potentially preventable hospitalization.”

Said Michelle Quensell, lead author of the study and a ����Vlog�ٷ� public health graduate, “We talked to 90 patients, and almost 25 percent reported a housing-related issue as a major factor in hospitalization. About half of these patients were homeless, noting the high cost of housing in Hawaiʻi.”

“Patients said it was hard to care for their diabetes or heart disease when they were living without amenities such as refrigeration, running water, a stove or a safe place to store medications,” added Sentell. “Patients also mentioned challenges of following diet plans when canned goods were the only available foods at the shelters and food banks.”

Several major health providers in Hawaiʻi have recently created innovative new programs to address social determinants, including housing, within the health care setting to improve health care quality and reduce health care costs. This research strongly supports these efforts.

Other investigators include , ����Vlog�ٷ� Public Health, , at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo, and Todd Seto, Queen’s Medical Center.

A new University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� at ����ԴDz� study has found that Housing First, an approach that provides homeless people with rapid housing placement, followed by support services as needed, has maintained a 97-percent retention rate in its first year.

“The Housing First Project has been very successful,” said Assistant Professor , who co-authored the study, adding that the success once clients were housed was “incredible.”

The in ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s conducted the study on the status of the first increment of the (IHS) Housing First initiative under a contract with the City and County of Honolulu. The report covers progress made within the first 12 months of the program’s implementation, between December 2014 and December 2015.

• Read the report: (PDF)

Key findings from the report include overall improved health and wellbeing with an increased participation in the community and increased community support. Significant key findings showed Housing First clients having a 23% decrease in number of physically unhealthy days; 25% decrease in mentally unhealthy days; 31% increase in energy levels; 52% having reported no alcohol consumption; 65% having reported no illegal drug use; and 15% increase in participation with community activity groups with a 7% increase of having higher levels of social support.

Documenting progress through photographs

The report, co-authored by Barile and graduate research assistant Anna Smith, was released as part of the opening of a photography exhibit at Honolulu Hale entitled: Lived Experiences: Out of Homelessness into Housing, Featuring a Photographic Study by Housing First Participants.

As part of the evaluation, a photovoice study was conducted. The study captured visual testimonials, thoughts, emotions and life experiences of 20 Housing First participants. Participants were given their own cameras and asked to record their everyday lives while in the program during a four-week period. After taking nearly 300 photographs, participants identified topics reflective of their collaborative experience of recently moving into housing within the first year of the program.

Selected images from the Institute for Human Services

.

“The human challenges of homelessness are visible and pressing,” said , dean of the College of Social Sciences. “Our faculty expertise is helping IHS and the city evaluate the Housing First program to assure its effectiveness for clients and our society. For example, this photovoice exhibit allows policymakers to see and experience critical moments in the lives of clients in their first year.”

IHS Executive Director Connie Mitchell added, “The photography exhibit is a testament to the impact and importance of housing as being a critical tool in an individual family’s path toward proper health, healing, safety and stability. It is an opportunity to share with our community the voice and faces of those who lived through transformation and promotes critical dialogue about causes of homelessness, housing and services, generated through photographs.”

Forthcoming is an evaluation of medical data, criminal reports and other information to provide a holistic picture of the costs and benefits to the community and the clients being served by Housing First.

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

The at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Homeless Programs Office of the have released the Homeless Service Utilization Report: Hawaiʻi 2015. Authored by Associate Specialist , Hong Vo Kristen Gleason and Javzandulam Azuma, the report provides the most current data on the utilization patterns of homeless services in the state during the 2015 fiscal year, based on agency-entered data in the Homeless Management and Information System (HMIS).

The 2015 report discusses overall patterns of inflow, outflow and return flow to the homeless service system and highlights factors associated with changes since last year. In addition to providing information on the usage of homeless service programs, the current report compares service outcomes among different homeless sub-populations.

Thematic maps show geographic areas where people last resided before becoming homeless and where outreach services achieved tangible outcomes. This report also examined the permanent supportive housing programs that serve formerly homeless individuals, which include programs that adopt the “Housing First” approach.

Highlights of the report

• The 2015 fiscal year reported the highest number of people who sought homeless services in the state’s history: 14,954 in total — an increase of 4.7% (672 clients) from last year.
• The increase was highest among unaccompanied homeless adults: 8,250 accessed services in FY 2015, 9.9% (740) more than those served in FY 2014.
• The only group that showed a noticeable decline in numbers this year was homeless children, who dropped 1.8% from the statewide peak seen in FY 2014, to a total of 3,494 in FY 2015.

For more report highlights, .

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Associate Professor Jill Omori, is this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for her work with the .

The mission of the Hawaii H.O.M.E. Project is to improve quality and access to health care for Hawaiʻi’s homeless, while increasing student and physician awareness and understanding of the homeless and their healthcare needs.

“I am truly humbled and honored to receive this award. To be recognized for doing something I love is very special,” said Omori. “I definitely share the honor with all the students, volunteers, physicians and community supporters that help to make H.O.M.E.. Project possible.”

Omori remembers that, during her days as a medical student, she wanted to be more exposed to the care of underprivileged patients. When she joined the JABSOM faculty, she felt students were not getting enough training in caring for homeless individuals. At that time, Hawaiʻii’s homeless population was growing rapidly, including in areas very near to JABSOM’s Kakaʻako Campus.

“It was a dream that I had to start student-run homeless clinics for our medical school and to create a curriculum in underserved care for JABSOM. I was fortunate enough to receive a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to help fund my time to develop the curriculum and the H.O.M.E. Project was born out of that endeavor,” she says.

Omori considers The H.O.M.E. Project to be her proudest career accomplishment. What started off as a simple dream ended up making an impact within the community, especially to the homeless.

The project began with a single clinic, once a week. But with the help and support of the entire JABSOM community, H.O.M.E. expanded to four clinics per week at six different sites across Oʻahu. Omori enjoys seeing former students who worked with the project return as community physicians. And she is gratified when she sees patients transition into healthier lives.

Read more about Jill Omori in the .

—By Tina Shelton