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Big Island plans to improve health literacy in underserved communities

Tumisu via Pixabay
Tumisu via Pixabay

Nonprofit organization Community First is leading an initiative to improve health literacy on the Big Island.

The project will reach out to Big Island residents who experience the highest levels of health disparities. This includes Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and Filipinos; as well as those who live in rural areas.

The Kuleana Health Project is in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and the County of Hawaiʻi. Community Health will provide educational sessions online for COVID-19 and various chronic health conditions.

"This is really about establishing relationships between the community and the providers in a way where members of the community that may not have felt that they are part of the health care focus on the island can become part of that focus," said Doug Adams, the director for the county Department of Research and Development.

The two-year project is funded by a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. The Kuleana Health Project is one of 40 organizations to receive funding from this grant, and the only one in the state.

For more information on Kuleana Health Project’s services, visit the Community First website.

Zoe Dym was a news producer at Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
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