Da Kine
Star-Bulletin staff
and wire services
|
HEALTH
Big Isle facility offers free health screenings
The Hawaii Heart Brain Center at North Hawaii Community Hospital in Kamuela will provide free blood pressure checks and stroke risk factor assessments from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.
The center is offering the public service in celebration of the hospital's 10th anniversary and recognition of May as Stroke Prevention Month.
It is trying to educate the community about the importance of identifying and reducing high blood pressure because that is one of the most common contributors to stroke, a spokesperson said.
Waimanalo residents gain Internet access
Waimanalo residents seeking health information may use two computers at the Waimanalo Health Center.
The Waimanalo Health Education Project installed the computers in each of the adult and pediatric clinic reception areas. They can be accessed during the health center's business hours.
The project is a collaborative effort of the Waimanalo Health Center, Ke Ola Mamo and Papa Ola Lokahi to increase knowledge in the community by providing free training and access to Web-based health information.
Papa Ola Lokahi supports the project through a subcontract from the National Library of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles.
For more information, call Eideene Furumori at 259-6666 or visit www.waimanalohc.org/ whep.htm. Furumori will provide technical assistance to those needing help with the computers.
AIDS Walk for Life brings in $105,000
Participants in the Annual Starbucks AIDS Walk for Life April 23 raised $105,000 for the Life Foundation, which provides services to more than 600 HIV-positive men, women and children.
Walkers included first-time participants such as Aaron Tolentino of Wahiawa, who said he wanted to do more than donate money, and others such as William Haning of Honolulu who has been involved for 12 years.
The Life Foundation is Hawaii's oldest and largest AIDS organization. It offers comprehensive HIV services.
Art exhibit showcases works by mentally ill
Abilities 2006, highlighting the artistic accomplishments of people with mental illness, is on exhibit through May 27 during Mental Health Awareness Month at the Studio of Roy Venters, 1160 Nuuanu Ave.
The state Health Department's Adult Mental Health Division and VSA arts Hawaii-Pacific are presenting the fourth annual visual arts exhibit to reduce discrimination against people with mental illness.
Jurors selected 41 works of art by 18 artists from Oahu, the Big Island and Maui for the exhibit out of 137 pieces submitted by 32 artists. The work includes paintings, drawings, pastels, collages, photographs, mixed media and three-dimensional art.
Jurors were Duane Preble, painter, photographer and co-author of Artforms; Astumi Yamamoto, painter; and Philippe Gross, photographer, research psychologist and co-author of "The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing."
Isle Lung Association lauded for diversity
The American Lung Association of Hawaii has received the 2006 Bernard Gregory Award for Cultural Diversity from its national organization.
The award commended the Hawaii association "for its commitment to promoting diversity within the organization and to serving the diverse communities affected by lung disease."
It noted programs tailored for Hawaii's diverse populations, such as the Open Airways for Schools asthma programs and Asthma Sports Day Camps and culturally sensitive programs for native Hawaiians, who have the highest asthma rates in the state.
ALAH Board President Sterling Yee attributed the recognition to the hard work of the organization's volunteers and staff.