Niihau residents may soon have access to on-island medical care through a $591,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to construct a medical clinic for the island. Federal grant to fund
medical center on NiihauBy Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.comThe 200 native Hawaiian residents of Niihau must now travel 17 miles to Kauai to receive medical care. Emergency services for the island are handled by helicopter evacuation.
The grant was given to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital to administer, said Miles Takaaze, director of communications and public affairs for Hawaii Health Systems Corp., which oversees the state's hospitals.
Kauai Veterans has traditionally treated Niihau patients who come over to Kauai by boat for treatment once or twice a month, Takaaze said.
But there will be some logistical challenges to be worked out before a clinic can be built, since Niihau has no running water or electrical service.
Officials from Hawaii Health Systems and representatives of the Robinson family, who own the island, are meeting to work out those kind of issues first, Takaaze said.
One likely solution to the lack of power on Niihau could be to make use of solar power and a generator back-up to provide needed electricity for the clinic, he said.
But a major topic for everyone will be how to provide needed medical services without disrupting residents' lifestyles, Takaaze said.
"The main focus for us is to assist in an indigenous population while respecting the privacy of that island," he said.
Part of the grant will also be used to train several of the residents to assist with telemedicine and act as liaisons between the island and Kauai Veterans.
Takaaze estimates it should take anywhere between six months and a year to implement the first phase of the grant.
The grant for the clinic is part of $17.5 million in grants given by the USDA to economically distressed rural communities in 21 states. Projects in Hawaii and the Marshall islands will receive $679,000 with the majority of that grant going to Niihau.