A Hawaiʻi Island health care provider facing federal funding cuts has received a $1 million grant to support operations from the Stupski Foundation.
Kumukahi Health + Wellness started 40 years ago to serve people living with or affected by HIV. It now offers a range of services, including Med-Quest patient enrollment navigation, a sexual health clinic, and a syringe exchange program.
“We took the lessons that we learned from the HIV epidemic and applied it to other health disparities that are happening across our island as well as the state,” said Kumukahi CEO Peter Tuiolosega Silva.
Kumukahi has experienced a 10% reduction in federal funds this year under the Trump administration, amounting to about a $150,000 loss, according to Silva.
He added that the nonprofit was bracing for even deeper cuts at the start of the year.
“We didn't even know, with the first executive orders coming out directly targeting agencies such as ours, if we were going to make it or not,” he said. “It was about two months of white knuckling it at my desk and just trying to hope for the best.”
Silva has led Kumukahi through difficult times before. Shortly after he stepped into his role as CEO, the nonprofit had to close its offices because of the pandemic. But he said that the threat of the current federal cuts feels different.
“We knew at a certain time we would come out of [the pandemic],” he said. “The cuts that are happening [now] are very permanent.”
Silva said he’s committed to fighting “tooth and nail” to keep Kumukahi open to serve Hawaiʻi Island residents.
The $1 million grant from Stupski will help Kumukahi maintain a cash flow, retain staff who were hired through COVID relief funds, and create a new patient navigator position to support transgender and māhū community members.
