Oʻahu residents who were impacted by the storms can get free check-ups and medical care on the North Shore this week through a mobile medical clinic hosted by the University of Hawaiʻi's John A. Burns School of Medicine.
The JABSOM Houseless Outreach and Medical program project partnered with the state Department of Health and other nonprofits to host the clinic in hopes of providing urgent care to those who need it most after the storm subsided.
Many residents lost their medication in the floods and have yet to schedule prescription fillings, or have not had time or resources to go to the store, while others have infected cuts or gastroenteritis from ingesting contaminated water.
Yujin Na, one of the JABSOM student volunteers working at the clinic, said she saw the damage of the floods through social media, which made her want to volunteer in the cleanup efforts.
“My first thought was the physical clean-up efforts, and even as a medical student, I hadn't even thought about the medical needs that people who were affected heavily by the floods would be in need of,” Na said. “They've just lost so much already, and I feel grateful that we're even able to provide something as simple but important as their medications.”
The majority of the services have been general health assessments, medication refills and wound care, all of which are free even if the patients do not have insurance.
Jill Omori, the director of medical education at JABSOM, said the clinic has seen a few patients who lost everything in the storm, which meant her student volunteers needed to know how to handle these situations respectfully, on top of providing appropriate medical care.
“The H.O.M.E project normally works with the houseless population, so working with people that are feeling really anxious or depressed is not new and I think our students are very well equipped to help them,” Omori said.
“It's hard to just watch the devastation and feel so helpless, so to be able to come out and do something tangible really makes you feel good and gives me peace of mind to know we are helping.”
But Na said most of the residents she has worked with have not let the storm dampen their spirits, adding that many of them still carry a sense of community and have offered to help out at the clinic, rather than receiving care for themselves.
She said many have been hesitant to take resources and medication because they feel like they are taking them away from those who are more deserving.
“It sounds cliche but I am so impressed to see how many of them come here with that true aloha spirit, even after being placed in the circumstances they are in,” Na said. “It’s just so amazing to see how much a community can do for each other when they’re working together.”
The clinic is at the Haleʻiwa Aliʻi Beach Park and operates from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day through Friday of this week.
