State program on
health disparities restarts
The state Health Department has reactivated a program to address health disparities in certain ethnic populations.
Elaine Andrade, appointed to head the Office of Health Equity, said the office had been vacant eight to 10 months, until state Health Director Chiyome L. Fukino decided to re-establish it.
"We have several programs already," Andrade said. "We want to take a closer look at that, assess them, and see if they are bridging any gaps they are supposed to be targeting and if there are some better ways to bridge caps."
She said her office will collaborate with community health organizations to address problems. "Maybe we need better training on what it means to be culturally competent in the types of service we provide."
Andrade said Hawaii should be a leader in gathering data sensitive to ethnic differences because of its diverse ethnic population.
Andrade previously was a program specialist and registered nurse case manager at the state Department of Human Services, a complex school health nurse for the Health Department and director of infection control and employee health for the East Hawaii Region for the Hawaii Health Systems Corp.
