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Kokua Line

By June Watanabe

Saturday, November 6, 1999

Each person in
ambulance must pay fee

Question: What happens when there is an accident and more than one person is taken away in the same ambulance?

I understand that a couple of years ago, young children, 6-8 years old, were in a school bus accident in Moanalua. They were not injured but taken to the hospital to get checked out. Each ambulance took two to three children and a bill for $400 was sent for each child even though they shared an ambulance and did not receive any care.

Answer: You're correct about the charges.

Each person is charged either $400 if only transportation is required or $450 if emergency medical treatment is provided, said Donnie Gates, assistant chief of operations for the city Emergency Medical Services Division.

He said the fee structure is mandated under the city's agreement with the state Department of Health to provide ambulance service.

Correct building artists revealed

In the Oct. 30 Kokua Line, state officials said Edward Stasack was the artist responsible for the tile artwork adorning the stairwell area of the Kamamalu Building at King and Richards streets.

However, we've since been informed that two other well-known and respected Hawaii artists, Harue McVay and Claude Horan, should be credited with creating the ceramic tile kahili and feather cape mosaic for the old Hawaiian Trust Building, which was sold to the state in 1968.

They also were responsible for the mural on the wall at the mauka end of the ground floor.

Our apologies to McVay and Horan, who, like Stasack, taught at the University of Hawaii.

Call police about dog poop

For animal pooping problems, as well as leash law violations, call police.

In Thursday's column about people who allow their dogs to "cruise and poop on the beach or grass," Hawaiian Humane Society spokeswoman Eve Holt said the Department of Health is responsible for sanitation concerns. She wanted to clarify that health officials would be called only if the poop became a health issue.

Mahalo

To the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii. My husband and I lived in Kailua in 1986-87 and were on Oahu recently for 10 days on business. On the weekend, we drove to our old hometown and decided to rent a kayak and paddle out to the Mokulua Islands off Lanikai.

We had a wonderful afternoon, only to return to our car and find that our belongings, carefully concealed in the trunk, had been stolen (wallets, clothes, backpacks, books, underwear, personal and government credit cards). We spent that evening and much of the next day canceling old credit cards, ordering new cards and dealing with police, who treated us like it was a hassle to answer our questions.

They did, however, refer us to VASH, which was wonderful about answering our questions and advising us on what to do. They then sent flowers to our room and offered us a free dinner or show. When we tried to decline the offer, explaining that new cards and money were on the way, Darrell Large, the founder, insisted. As former residents, the experience overshadowed a couple of days, but did not ruin our love for Hawaii.

We plan to send a contribution to VASH when we get home and wish Darrell and VASH mahalo nui loa. -- Brad and Robyn Myers, American Canyon, Calif.

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