Our Care, Our Choice Act program progress; Managing deer populations across Maui County; Reality Check: Faster delivery of vaccine doses by federal government would help the state meet demand; AARP Hosts vaccine town hall for kupuna
Our Care, Our Choice Act program progress
Hawaii joined ten other states and jurisdictions in passing a law to allow medically assisted dying in January of 2019. John Radcliffe championed the effort along with many others over several decades. Radcliffe suffered from a terminal illness and five months ago decided to end his life. He was the first to ask for the prescription under the law. Some 60 others have since followed. Samantha Trad, Hawaii State Director for Compassion & Choices talks about the two year anniversary of the medical aid in dying law and the bills introduced this week that would change the program.
Managing deer populations across Maui County
Dead deer are piling up on Moloka'i as drought conditions and other factors contribute to a die-off of the population. The growing number of carcasses attract flies and bring an overwhelming stench that could potentially cause public health problems. Governor David Ige to declare an emergency to deal with the situation yesterday after Senator Kalani English and Rep. Lynn Decoite requested help. But the solution may not rest solely in the hands of local government. Jake Muise is the owner of Maui Nui Venison — his company has been harvesting axis deer on Maui for over 10 years and he sees other potential solutions for the situation on Moloka'i.
Reality Check: Faster delivery of vaccine doses by federal government would help the state meet demand
As Hawaii ramps up its vaccine efforts, more doses will be needed to meet demand. The Biden Administration's plan to purchase more vaccines could put Hawaii in the fast lane. Read Civil Beat reporter Brittany Lyte's full story here at civilbeat.org.
AARP Hosts vaccine town hall for kupuna
The vaccine rollout here in Hawaii is limited to how many doses are sent our way. Every Thursday, the state is told how much of a supply we will receive the following week. The logistics can be problematic as health officials are trying to schedule as many people in the high risk group without wasting the precious vaccines. AARP Hawaii is reaching out to our kupuna who may not have access to computers this weekend via phone. It's a chance for kupuna to ask questions about the COVID vaccine rollout. Executive Director Kealii Lopez explains how the telephone town hall meeting is supposed to work. Click here for more information.
