Hui Malama Ola Na Oiwi

Hui Malama Ola Na Oiwi is a private, non-profit organization originally formed in 1985 as the Puna Community Caring Health System in collaboration with Alu Like, Inc. Hawaiian community leaders (mostly farmers), health professionals, technicians, and educators responded to the Puna Hui Ohanas concern about the Native Hawaiians reluctance to seek medical care until it was too late. With funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a grassroots campaign was organized to address concerns about access to preventive and primary health care services and the many health issues facing Native Hawaiians who lived in remote areas of Hawaii Island. These community efforts led to research conducted by the Hawaii State Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control and the National Cancer Institute that established the need for improved access to care and later resulted in the formation of the Native Hawaiian Health Task Force of Hawaii Island in 1988. It was designated throug...