Maui wildfire survivors may get a call from the state Department of Health asking about their health care needs.
From Monday through Wednesday, the DOH said they plan to call a random selection of residents affected by the fires to collect 'minimally intrusive' data on the well-being and status of the community.
“It’s critical that efforts by the DOH and our partners are driven by needs identified by Maui communities, and this assessment will help us to better understand existing gaps and barriers to care,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble.
The 10-minute phone survey is voluntary, yet the department hopes willing residents can help state officials understand the medical and behavioral needs of the West Maui community as they recover from the Aug. 8 disaster.
The DOH plans to have interpreters on hand who can translate responses in Ilocano, Tagalog, Marchallese, Spanish and Hawaiian.
The responses will help health officials assess existing barriers in care.
“The information collected will be used to direct state and federal resources to meet the immediate and medium-term needs of Maui residents as well as to link participating households to any additional services they might need and have not been able to access," Kemble said.
All survey responses will be confidential, according to DOH, and no personally identifiable information will be collected.
