MEDIA RELEASE

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has signed into law House Bill 608, which appropriates state funds to The Queen’s Medical Center to perform kidney and liver transplants and to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii to maintain its chronic kidney disease management program.

“Without operational organ transplant services in the state, patients with end-stage diseases must register on transplant waiting lists for mainland transplant centers and many of these patients will face a longer waiting time,” Abercrombie said.

“This was a collaborative effort where the Legislature, community members, and health providers understood that lives were at stake,” he said. “I’m grateful that we are able to make a positive difference.”

This is the first bill enacted by the Governor this session. The sum appropriated, which are subject to dollar-for-dollar private matching funds, include:

* $1.5M to The Queen’s Medical Center to support services to perform kidney and liver transplants in Hawaii

* $300,000 to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii to maintain its chronic kidney disease management program.

“We are very appreciative of the efforts of the Governor and the Legislature for their commitment to save this vital program,” said Art Ushijima, President of The Queen’s Medical Center. “Establishing the Queen’s Transplant Center as quickly as possible has been a top priority.”

According to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, there are currently 400 patients on the transplant waiting list.

“We are truly grateful that the community, especially to The Queen’s Medical Center, the state elected officials and to Governor Abercrombie, responded to the true need for a transplant center in Hawaii,” said Glenn Hayashida, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii. “Everyone understood that not everyone could travel to the mainland for a transplant.”

(Photo courtesy of Kona Community Hospital)

MEDIA RELEASE

National Wear Red Day was Friday, Feb. 3 and Kona Community Hospital organized a “We Care to Wear Red” day for all of the employees of the hospital to promote awareness regarding heart disease – the No. 1 threat to women.

Forty-eight employees from 22 different hospital departments were available to take a photograph to showcase hospital support of this important day. Along with them, many other employees proudly wore red to join in the campaign.

Participants are shown holding their red dress pins that symbolizes women and heart disease, and how we can help save women’s lives through education and awareness.

National Wear Red Day is a day when Americans nationwide wear red to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness.

“This is a great opportunity for our hospital to reach out to our community and alert them to their personal risk factors for heart disease. By joining together, we can raise awareness locally about heart disease and help lead women on the path to prevention,” said Emily Mendez-Bryant, KCH’s community relations director.

Alarmingly, heart disease takes the life of 1 in 3 women each year. Although significant progress has been made in increasing awareness among women that heart disease is their No. 1 killer (from 34 percent in 2000 to 69 percent in 2009) most fail to make the connection between its risk factors and their personal risk of developing heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends being physically active, eating a heart-healthy diet and being educated about heart disease and its risk factors, as well as share information with the women in our lives about heart disease and how we can fight back.

MEDIA RELEASE

The total lifetime estimated financial costs associated with just one year of confirmed cases of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and neglect) is approximately $124 billion, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in Child Abuse and Neglect, The International Journal.

This study looked at confirmed child maltreatment cases, 1,740 fatal and 579,000 non–fatal, for a 12–month period. The lifetime cost for each victim of child maltreatment who lived was $210,012, which is comparable to other costly health conditions, such as stroke with a lifetime cost per person estimated at $159,846 or Type 2 diabetes, which is estimated between $181,000 and $253,000.

The costs of each death due to child maltreatment are even higher.

“No child should ever be the victim of abuse or neglect – nor do they have to be. The human and financial costs can be prevented through prevention of child maltreatment,” said Linda C. Degutis, Dr.P.H., M.S.N., director of CDC′s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Child maltreatment has been shown to have many negative effects on survivors, including poorer health, social and emotional difficulties, and decreased economic productivity.

This CDC study found these negative effects over a survivor′s lifetime generate many costs that impact the nation′s health care, education, criminal justice and welfare systems.

The estimated average lifetime cost per victim of nonfatal child maltreatment includes:

* $32,648 in childhood health care costs
* $10,530 in adult medical costs
* $144,360 in productivity losses
* $7,728 in child welfare costs
* $6,747 in criminal justice costs
* $7,999 in special education costs

The estimated average lifetime cost per death includes:

* $14,100 in medical costs
* $1,258,800 in productivity losses

Child maltreatment can also be linked to many emotional, behavioral, and physical health problems. Associated emotional and behavioral problems include aggression, conduct disorder, delinquency, antisocial behavior, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, teenage pregnancy, anxiety, depression and suicide.

Past research suggests that child maltreatment is a complicated problem, and so its solutions cannot be simple. An individual parent or caregiver′s behavior is influenced by a range inter–related factors such as how they were raised, their parenting skills, the level of stress in their life, and the living conditions in their community.

Because of this complexity, it is critical to invest in effective strategies that touch on all sectors of society.

“Federal, state, and local public health agencies as well as policymakers must advance the awareness of the lifetime economic impact of child maltreatment and take immediate action with the same momentum and intensity dedicated to other high profile public health problems – in order to save lives, protect the public′s health, and save money,” Degutis said.

Several programs have demonstrated reductions in child maltreatment and have great potential to reduce the human and economic toll on our society.

Examples of effective programs include:

* Nurse–Family Partnership, an evidence–based community health program. Partners a registered nurse with a first–time mother during pregnancy and continues through the child′s second birthday. www.nursefamilypartner…

* Early Start, California’s response to federal legislation providing early intervention services to infant and toddlers with disabilities and their families, provides coordinated, family–centered system of services: www.dds.ca.gov/earlyst…

Triple P, a multilevel parenting and family support system that aims to prevent severe emotional and behavioral disturbances in children by promoting positive and nurturing relationships between parent and child: www.triplep–america.com

The article, “The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention,” is available at www.sciencedirect.com/…

CDC′s Injury Center works to prevent injuries and violence and their adverse health consequences.

For more information on public health child maltreatment prevention activities and research, visit: www.cdc.gov/ViolencePr…

If you know or suspect a child is being abused, contact the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1–800–4–A–CHILD or visit: www.childhelp.org

MEDIA RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) joined 25 Senate colleagues in calling on Ambassador Nancy Brinker, Founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, to reconsider her organization’s decision to stop funding cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood.

“It would be tragic if any woman—let alone thousands of women— lost access to these potentially life-saving screenings because of a politically motivated attack,” the Senators wrote.

Senator Akaka joined Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Patty Murray (D-WA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Begich (D-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Tester (D-MT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Max Baucus (D-MT), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), John Kerry (D-MA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) in signing the letter.

Letter from the senators:

February 2, 2012

Nancy G. Brinker
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Dear Ambassador Brinker,

We write to express our disappointment with Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s decision to cut funding for breast cancer prevention, screening, and education at Planned Parenthood health centers. This troubling decision threatens to reduce access to necessary, life-saving services. We urge Komen to reconsider its decision.

Planned Parenthood is a trusted provider of health care for women and men. More than 90 percent of the services provided by Planned Parenthood are primary and preventative including wellness exams and cancers screenings that save lives. Each year, Planned Parenthood health clinics provide 750,000 breast exams, 770,000 pap tests and nearly 4 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases. Twenty percent of all women in the U.S. have visited a Planned Parenthood health center.

For the past five years, grants to local affiliates of Planned Parenthood have been an important part of Planned Parenthood’s work to protect women from breast cancer. Komen funding for Planned Parenthood has provided nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams and resulted in 6,400 referrals for mammograms. In 2011 alone, grants from Komen provided Planned Parenthood with roughly $650,000 in funding for breast cancer prevention, screening, and education. According to a recent statement by Komen, “In some areas of the U.S., our affiliates have determined a Planned Parenthood clinic to be the best or only local place where women can receive breast health care.”

It would be tragic if any woman—let alone thousands of women— lost access to these potentially life-saving screenings because of a politically motivated attack.

We earnestly hope that you will put women’s health before partisan politics and reconsider this decision for the sake of the women who depend on both your organizations for access to the health care they need.

Sincerely,

Statement from Susan G. Komen Board of Directors and Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker

DALLAS – February 3, 2012 – We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives. The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.

Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.

Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.

It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women. We urge everyone who has participated in this conversation across the country over the last few days to help us move past this issue. We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics – anyone’s politics.

Starting this afternoon, we will have calls with our network and key supporters to refocus our attention on our mission and get back to doing our work. We ask for the public’s understanding and patience as we gather our Komen affiliates from around the country to determine how to move forward in the best interests of the women and people we serve.

We extend our deepest thanks for the outpouring of support we have received from so many in the past few days and we sincerely hope that these changes will be welcomed by those who have expressed their concern.

MEDIA RELEASE

Pfizer Inc. announced today that it has voluntarily recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral®-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol)Tablets and 14 lots of Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic) for customers in the U.S. market. An investigation by Pfizer found that some blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert or active ingredient tablets and that the tablets may be out of sequence. The cause was identified and corrected immediately.

These products are oral contraceptives indicated for the prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use oral contraceptives as a method of contraception. These tablets were manufactured and packaged by Pfizer Inc., commercialized by Akrimax Rx Products and labeled under the Akrimax Pharmaceuticals brand. This product is distributed to warehouses, clinics and retail pharmacies nationwide.

As a result of this packaging error, the daily regimen for these oral contraceptives may be incorrect and could leave women without adequate contraception, and at risk for unintended pregnancy. These packaging defects do not pose any immediate health risks. However, consumers exposed to affected packaging should begin using a non-hormonal form of contraception immediately. Patients who have the affected product (lot numbers are provided below) should notify their physician and return the product to the pharmacy.

These products are packaged in blister packs containing 21 tablets of active ingredients and seven tablets of inert ingredients. Correct dosing of this product is important in avoiding the associated risks of an unplanned pregnancy. Correctly packaged blister packs are pictured here.

Any adverse events that may be related to the use of these products should be reported to Akrimax Medical Information at 1-877-509-3935 (8 AM to 7 PM Mon-Fri CST) or to FDA’s Med Watch Program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/r…
Regular Mail: Use postage-paid, pre-addressed Form FDA 3500
available at: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/g… Mail
to the address on the pre-addressed form.
Fax: 1-800-FDA-0178

Pfizer has responded rapidly to ensure that its products continue to meet the company’s high quality standards. The safety of patients who take our medicines is our first priority.

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Lot numbers of affected packs of Lo/Ovral®-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol)Tablets and Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic) follow on the table below:

click on table above for larger view

MEDIA RELEASE

On Jan. 30, following the passage of Senate Bill 239, in both the Senate and House chambers, Senate Committee on Health Chairman Josh Green, M.D., briefed the media.

Senate Bill 239 allows the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) to continue using the Hawaii Tobacco Settlement Special Fund for the school’s operational expenses.

Extending the life of the fund would result in supporting the school’s mission of training physicians.

MEDIA RELEASE

Walgreen Co. Voluntarily Recalls Certain Lots of 13 Oz. Chocolate-Covered Raisins As Product May Contain Peanuts, Almonds, Soy Due to Packaging Error

Chocolate Covered Raisins packaging

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 28, 2012 – Walgreen Co. is voluntarily recalling certain lots of 13-oz. Walgreens Chocolate-Covered Raisins because the packages may contain Walgreens Bridge Mix with peanut, almond and soy ingredients.

The error occurred when Walgreens Bridge Mix was mistakenly packaged with the Walgreens Chocolate-Covered Raisin labeling. Walgreens discovered the incident after receiving a consumer complaint of an allergic reaction. The product manufacturer, GKI Foods, Inc. of Brighton, Mich., is also cooperating in the voluntary recall.

Walgreen Co. has already instructed stores to stop selling the affected product, which can be identified as a blue and white plastic bag with chocolate-covered raisins pictured on the front and the following identifying information on the back label: best by date of “Oct 42012A1″, UPC number 04902245661, and item number 280217. The affected product was distributed through Walgreen Co. distribution centers in Arizona, Connecticut and California and to Walgreens retail stores in the Northeastern and Western United States. Customers who have purchased the product may return it to Walgreens for a full refund.

Walgreen Co. and GKI Foods Inc. take the safety of their customers seriously and are working with the FDA on this recall. For additional information, contact Walgreens Product Quality Department at 847-315-2755, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. central time.

MEDIA RELEASE

Out of regard and concern for our consumers, Pinnacle Foods Group LLC is recalling certain Aunt Jemima Frozen Pancakes. The product may contain soy protein, an undeclared allergen. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy protein may run the risk of an allergic reaction if they consume this product.

The voluntary recall was initiated after the Company discovered there may have been a potential cross-contact with product that contained soy protein being produced on the same equipment. There have been no reports of illness as a result of this incident. The Food and Drug Administration has been made aware of this recall.

This recall applies only to the following products: “AUNT JEMIMA FROZEN PANCAKES” packaged in cardboard cartons with the UPC codes listed below, which were sold and distributed nationally, with a ‘Recommended Use By Date’ between November 1, 2011 up to and including October 16, 2012. This date can be found in the white box on the end of the carton. (More photos of packaging)

Production Code information is as follows:

If you are allergic to or have a severe sensitivity to soy protein, you should not consume this product. Please return the product to the store where purchased for a full refund. If you are not allergic to soy protein, this product is safe to eat.

This announcement applies only to the AUNT JEMIMA FROZEN PANCAKE products listed above and does not include waffles, French toast, entrees, sandwiches, boxed pancake mixes and syrups.

Consumers with questions may contact the Company at 1- 888-299-7646 daily between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

MEDIA RELEASE

More than 68,000 Kaiser Permanente patients in Hawaii can now easily access their own medical information anywhere in the world on mobile devices through a mobile-optimized website.

Nationally, 9 million Kaiser Permanente patients will benefit from this new mobile access.

“Providing our patients with clear and convenient access to their health information is a step forward in connectivity and improving the health care experience for patients, no matter where they are,” said Hyewon Jun, MD, physician leader for Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s online service.

“We already have complete connectivity among Kaiser Permanente care sites through Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect. This new level of connectivity extends the reach of information to our patients in a more convenient and user-friendly format,” Jun said. “This new app and mobile-optimized site enriches patient care and will revolutionize connectivity in an individual’s health care like the connectivity that exists in other industries.”

Kaiser Permanente has released a new app for Android devices, and users of other mobile devices, including the iPhone, can also get full access to that information from the Kaiser Permanente health record system with the mobile-optimized version of kp.org.

An additional app for iPhone will be released in coming months, but iPhone users can easily download a shortcut icon onto their home screens that will take them directly to the mobile-friendly kp.org with a touch of the finger.

Kaiser Permanente has led the health care world in providing online access to information for its patients. In 2011 alone, 68,102 registered users in Hawaii signed on more than 752,000 times, viewed more than 372,000 test results online, sent over 107,000 emails, refilled approximately 123,750 prescriptions and scheduled 11,380 appointments.

The mobile-optimized site and the new app makes all that information, and much more, securely available at members’ fingertips.

The Android app is available now in the Android Market at no charge. Users of other mobile devices can access the same set of care support tools at no charge through the new secure mobile-optimized member website, which is available through smart phone internet browsers.

With the new offering, Kaiser Permanente patients have 24/7 access from their mobile devices to view their secure personal health record, email their doctors, schedule appointments, refill prescriptions and locate Kaiser Permanente medical facilities.

Members who have the ability to act on behalf of a family member on www.kp.org now can accomplish the same tasks. Those caring for an elderly parent or someone with a chronic condition can now more easily check lab results, refill prescriptions and communicate with the doctor’s office on behalf of the patient.

Members using the Android app have access to their accounts by touching the app icon on their phones. Those visiting the website from a mobile phone internet browser are seamlessly redirected to the mobile-optimized website, which was designed for optimal viewing on a mobile phone screen.

In both cases, a streamlined menu of mobile-optimized features helps members find what they need quickly and easily with minimal taps.

Users’ personal health information is safe and secure while using the new app and the mobile-friendly website, which employ the same security safeguards that protect patient information on the traditional kp.org website, including secure sign-on and automatic sign-out after a period of inactivity.

— Find out more:
www.kp.org

MEDIA RELEASE

To raise awareness among local women that heart disease is their No. 1 health threat, Kona Community Hospital (KCH) will organize a “We Care to Wear Red” day for all of the employees of the hospital.

The event will take place on National Wear Red Day, Friday, Feb. 3 and will illustrate the support that the hospital has for heart health awareness. A photo opportunity is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in front of the Administration building.

National Wear Red Day is a day when Americans nationwide wear red to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness.

“Our hospital event is a great opportunity to reach out to our community and alert them to their personal risk factors for heart disease. By joining together, we can raise awareness locally about heart disease and help lead women on the path to prevention,” commented Emily Mendez-Bryant, KCH’s Community Relations Director.

Heart disease takes the life of 1 in 3 women each year. Although significant progress has been made in increasing awareness among women that heart disease is their No. 1 killer (from 34 percent in 2000 to 69 percent in 2009) most fail to make the connection between its risk factors and their personal risk of developing heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends being physically active, eating a heart-healthy diet and being educated about heart disease and its risk factors, as well as share information with the women in our lives about heart disease and how we can fight back.

For more information about women and heart disease, visit www.hearttruth.gov or the local chapter of the American Heart Association at 961-2825.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Department of Human Services (DHS) Med-QUEST Division (MQD) has awarded five health care contracts to the state’s Medicaid programs for low-income residents.

The new QUEST contracts will improve access statewide, support new models to manage care for people with chronic diseases, and provide incentives for leveraging information technology to improve the health and well being of Hawaii’s residents.

The MQD awarded contracts to: AlohaCare, HMSA QUEST, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Ohana Health Plan, and United HealthCare Community Plan.

Ohana Health Plan and United HealthCare Community Plan are new providers for the QUEST program. Open enrollment in those programs begins Spring 2012. DHS will mail information to beneficiaries that will help them choose a health plan.

Beginning July 1, 2012, all the health plans, with the exception of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, will provide QUEST services to members statewide. Kaiser has chosen to focus its efforts on Oahu and Maui.

“These new contracts will improve upon an important safety net for Hawaii,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said. “Facilitating access, expanding and tailoring options, and incentivizing providers’ use of record and management technology for better efficiency are all important steps toward the healthcare transformation we need in Hawaii.”

One of those essential changes is “patient-centered care” where physicians and other healthcare providers work with clients, especially those with complex health problems and chronic diseases, to better manage and coordinate their care.

QUEST serves non-disabled children, pregnant women and adults younger than 65 years old. Services for children and pregnancy-related services will not change. Adults will receive the new QUEST-Adult benefits package for 2012 which includes:

* 30 inpatient days (plus 30 additional acute psychiatric days)
* Unlimited outpatient visits
* Laboratory and imaging services
* Outpatient hospital/ambulatory surgical center procedures
* Prescription medications
* Family planning/contraceptives
* Diabetes supplies
* Vaccines (pneumonia, influenza, tetanus/diphtheria)
* Limited non-emergency transportation
* Emergency medical
* Emergency dental
* Language access services

“The Department sincerely appreciates all the community input offered during the QUEST procurement period,” DHS Director Patricia McManaman said. “We look forward to partnering with the health plans and to providing quality healthcare for QUEST beneficiaries.”

More information about the QUEST RFP and the procurement process can be found on the State Procurement Office website at: www.spo.hawaii.gov/pro…

MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaii Island Beacon Community has awarded a $680,000 contract to North Hawaii Community Hospital to implement a Health Information Exchange system throughout the North Hawaii region, impacting more than 32,000 patients and marking the first step toward an island-wide HIE.

Implementation has begun and will continue through 2012.

NHCH’s existing vendor partner Wellogic has already laid the technical foundation for the HIE, connecting information systems from NHCH; affiliated physician groups; two statewide labs; all pharmacies, radiology and imaging centers in the region; a national database of dispensed prescriptions; and a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).

“We are pleased to support the groundbreaking initiatives of NHCH to help providers in the North Hawaii region adopt and benefit from the latest technology in health care,” said Susan B. Hunt, M.H.A., project director and CEO of HIBC.

“NHCH has pioneered the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) by North Hawaii providers and helped to achieve a nearly 95 percent adoption rate — one of the highest for any community nationwide. The region is more than ready to take the next step, and both patients and providers will benefit from the streamlined operations that a secure HIE system makes possible,” she said.

“It’s an exciting breakthrough for health care in North Hawaii,” said William Park, M.D., chief medical officer and general surgeon at NHCH, who has championed the region’s HIE since the project’s inception. “Our partnership with Wellogic has been very successful, and we have built up to a smooth launch. Through access to comprehensive, up-to-date patient information for providers and, eventually, patients themselves, care will be more efficient, more easily coordinated and more holistic.”

Wellogic staff will be conducting training for all North Hawaii providers. In addition, HIBC staff, in partnership with staff from the Hawaii Pacific Regional Extension Center (REC), will continue ongoing support related to the adoption and use of EHR.

In addition to supporting and assisting with EHR and HIE implementation, HIBC is working to effect clinical transformation, particularly in terms of greater coordination of and access to care for patients who are most at-risk for chronic diseases, and conducting outreach by awarding $300,000 to the community in the form of Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Grants.

Hawaii Island Beacon Community is a $16.1 million, island-wide, federally funded, collaborative project administered through the College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, working to improve health care on Hawaii Island.

Through technology, clinical transformation, and outreach, HIBC is committed to improving the health of Hawaii Island residents and empowering them to be more actively involved in their own health.

North Hawaii Community Hospital (NHCH) is a rural 29-­bed acute care hospital in Waimea. Nonprofit, community owned and locally governed, the hospital opened in May 1996 and cares for Big Island residents and visitors.

NHCH offers an extensive set of hospital services that are centered on patient needs, creating a healing experience for the whole person—mind, body and spirit.

Wellogic provides industry-certified interoperability, point-of-care, and patient engagement solutions for connecting the health care community and enabling safety, efficiency and convenience in care delivery. With more than 15 years of experience facilitating meaningful interoperability and enhancing clinical workflow, the company truly understands the complexity of health care. It has developed a depth of experience in solving some of the most challenging issues confronting the industry today.

Wellogic’s award-winning Web-based connectivity solutions for physicians and caregivers, patients, health systems and Health Information Exchanges are consistently recognized as the most usable, flexible and scalable solutions available, and are used daily to deliver safer, more cost-effective care for millions of patients.

North Hawaii Health Information Exchange

Benefits

* Better, safer patient care as patient information is unified across all venues of care—providers’ offices, hospitals and long-term care facilities; emergency rooms; laboratories; imaging centers; pharmacies; and, ultimately, patients’ homes—and available for more informed decision making.

* More cost-effective care that promotes adherence to best practices, encourages patient compliance and wellness, reduces unnecessary interventions, and reduces health care costs by helping patients stay healthier.

* Higher efficiency via secure communication between providers, their staff, trading partners, and their patients as information is delivered to patients and their care team in real time.

Participating Organizations

Along with 15 private practitioners in the Waimea community, these organizations will be connected through the North Hawaii HIE:

* E-Prescription Network
* Surescripts
* Physician Groups
* Hawaii Emergency Physicians Associated North Hawaii Community Hospital
* North Hawaii Hospitalist Physicians
* North Hawaii Medical Group
* Federally Qualified Health Center
* Hamakua Health Center
* Labs
* Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii Diagnostic Laboratory Services
Radiology
* Cleveland Clinic radiologists at North Hawaii Community Hospital

Software Features

* Community-wide Patient History: All available information about a patient from all venues of care will be displayed in provider and patient portals or pushed to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) used in providers’ offices, thus improving care coordination and collaboration between providers and their patients.

* Secure Orders and Messaging: Providers can order tests and medications, as well as make referrals and consultation requests with full knowledge of other pending orders across the community. Providers and their staff can easily track the status of their requests, and safely and securely communicate with their peers, patients, and service providers.

* Meaningful Use EHR: Providers who do not have EHRs can meet their Meaningful Use requirements easily and at little cost, while delivering more informed and safer care and at the same time improving the operational efficiency of their offices and communication with their patients.

* Clinical Decision Support and Registries: Evidence-based patient-specific alerts and reminders allow providers to better comply with their specialty’s best practices; improve their own operations based on practice-specific measures; and encourage patients to comply with their care plans via personalized alerts, reminders, and home-based diagnostics.

— Find out more:
www.hibeacon.org
www.nchc.com
www.wellogic.com

MEDIA RELEASE

More than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink an average of four times a month and the most drinks they consume on average is eight, according to a new Vital Signs report form the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While binge drinking is more common among young adults ages 18–34, of those age 65 and older who report binge drinking, they do so more often – an average of five to six times a month.

Binge drinking is more common among those with household incomes of $75,000 or more, but the largest number of drinks consumed per occasion is significantly higher among binge drinkers with household incomes of less than $25,000 – an average of eight to nine drinks, the report said.

Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on an occasion. Binge drinkers also put themselves and others at risk for many health and social problems, including car crashes, other unintentional injuries, violence, liver disease, certain cancers, heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, and both unintended and alcohol–exposed pregnancies.

Drinking too much, including binge drinking, causes more than 80,000 deaths in the United States each year, making it the third leading preventable cause of death, and was responsible for more than $223.5 billion in economic costs in 2006. Over half of these deaths result from injuries that disproportionately involve young people.

“Binge drinking causes a wide range of health, social and economic problems and this report confirms the problem is really widespread,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “We need to work together to implement proven measures to reduce binge drinking at national, state and community levels.”

Adult binge drinking is most common in the Midwest, New England, the District of Columbia, Alaska and Hawaii, the report said.

However, binge drinkers consume more drinks in the southern part of the Mountain states (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), the Midwest, and some states where binge drinking is less common – including Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.

CDC scientists analyzed data on self–reports of binge drinking within the past 30 days for about 458,000 U.S. adults aged 18 years and older. The data were in the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The data used in this study included about 36,000 cell phone respondents.

“It is alarming that binge drinkers are consuming so much alcohol with such regularity,” said Robert Brewer, M.D., M.S.P.H. “The risk to their lives can be reduced. CDC is working in collaboration with our partners to strengthen binge drinking prevention through improved public health surveillance of excessive alcohol use and by supporting the implementation of community–based prevention strategies that can reduce excessive drinking.”

Adult binge drinking also casts a shadow on future generations.

“Binge drinking by adults has a huge public health impact, and influences the drinking behavior of underage youth by the example it sets,” said Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “We need to reduce binge drinking by adults to prevent the immediate and long–term effects it has on the health of adults and youth.”

For more information about binge drinking and how to prevent this dangerous behavior, visit the CDC’s Alcohol and Public Health website at www.cdc.gov/alcohol/in….

For statistics specific to Hawaii, visit apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DACH…

Members of the public who are concerned about their own or someone else’s binge drinking can call 1–800–662–HELP to receive assistance from the national Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service.

MEDIA RELEASE

Youth rally state wide support for safe routes to school

Wednesday (Jan 11) at 7:15 a.m., kids from East Honolulu to North Hawaii will take to the streets in support of Safe Routes to School in their local neighborhoods. Natalie Iwasa, a.k.a. Bike Mom, will ride five miles with her sons and their friends on the “Bike School Bus” from their home on Lulalilo Home Road to the Honolulu Waldorf School in Hawaii Kai. Down the island chain, children and parents of the weekly “Waimea Walking School Bus” will gather at the South Kohala police station to begin their one mile walk to Waimea Elementary School.

The kids are helping to kick off interest in the first-ever Hawaii Safe Routes to School Summit: A Gateway to Healthier, Happier Hawaii Communities scheduled for Friday, January 20th at Kapiolani Community College on the island of O’ahu, hosted by the Big Island based PATH – Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii with support from Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and the Communities Putting Prevention to Work Kauai Team, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Hawaii Department of Health.

The deadline to register for the Summit is Wednesday, January 17th and the Bike Train and Walking School Bus are out to rally support to attend this important event. To register, call 808-326-7284 or send an email to saferoutes@pathhawaii…..

The Summit will gather national experts, local advocates and statewide policy makers together to implement solutions that restore a child’s most basic right to walk and bike in their neighborhood. The Summit will open with remarks by Lt. Governor Brian Schatz and feature a keynote address by national Safe Routes to School pioneer Deborah Hubsmith of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership as well as a report by Hawaii Department of Transportation Highways Administrator Alvin Takeshita, P.E. recent successes in the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program.

Fewer than 10% of the estimated 220,000 children who go to school daily in Hawaii walk or bike to school, down from a national average of over 50% in 1969. That decline is part of a growing trend of inactivity and resulting poor health status suffered by children in Hawaii. According to the Hawaii Department of Health, nearly one in three students enters Kindergarten in Hawaii either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. By 4th grade, two-thirds of the students are not getting enough daily physical activity. That number jumps to 70% in middle and high school.

The walk and bike to school offers many benefits, including daily physical activity, a chance to socialize with friends, the opportunity to develop independence, responsibility and heightened safety skills. Children arrive to school alert and ready to learn. And by reducing the number of vehicles choking roadways during the busy arrival and departure times, roadway safety and congestion improve.

Bike Mom has been a champion of walking and bicycling for more than 20 years. She and her boys ride to school three days a week on the Bike School Bus. The Waimea Walking School Bus that began three years ago with only a handful of students walking once every four months to school has grown to a weekly event with two routes and more than 25 kids walking to school.

Both events provide an opportunity to see Safe Routes to School in action, talk with kids about how it feels to walk and bike to school, and hear from the parents, advocates and policymakers about the solutions Safe Routes to School provides to our local challenges in advance of the Summit on January 20th.

For more information on the Summit, to request interviews, or to take part in the Bike Train or Walking School Bus events, please contact Laura Dierenfield at 936-4653 or email: laura@pathhawaii.org

MEDIA RELEASE

Sen. Josh Green, MD, will be guest speaker Monday, Jan. 9 at Kona Community Hospital Auxiliary’s annual general membership meeting.

WHAT: As the current Health Committee Chairman and Emergency Physician at Kohala Hospital, Green will discuss today’s healthcare climate, as well as the key bills in the new legislative session. He will also talk about the challenges and opportunities that rural health facilities face including physician recruitment and retention.

WHO: The entire community is invited to attend this meeting to hear Green’s presentation, as well as, those who are interested in volunteering at the hospital.

WHEN: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9; Green’s presentation will take place at 12:15 p.m.

WHERE: Kona Community Hospital Conference Rooms 2 and 3, 79-1019 Haukapila Street, Kealakekua.

WHY: At last year’s meeting, Green said, “There is a 22 percent shortage of physicians in our community. If we do not do anything, by 2025 it will be 40 percent.” His first-hand knowledge regarding this issue is highly valuable and his presentation will be sure to provide us with updated information on what we should expect in the near future.

In addition, the new slate of Auxiliary officers for 2012 and information pertaining to volunteer activities will be announced.

MEDIA RELEASE

Join Lindsay Wagner for a spectacular week-long “Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart” retreat Jan. 9-15 at Kalani Oceanside Resort.

As Wagner shares her wisdom and experience, each participant will have the opportunity to reflect on and address their own personal challenges, be they physical, emotional or spiritual, using the techniques and practices that have greatly impacted her life.

Starting from right where we are, Wagner helps us go deeper into our own personal spiritual journey, healing, shifting consciousness and wonder … mixed with a large dose of fun, new friends and new experiences.

Experience powerful ceremonies and deepening practices in a relaxing and blissful environment along with a colorful mix of nature and adventure and open your heart to the joy of being you.

Enjoy beautiful music, salt water pool, yoga, meditations, campfire rituals, stunning beaches, volcano excursion, three organic meals a day and more, while contemplating and allowing your personal awakening to unfold.

While Wagner was working as one of the most popular actresses on international television, she was simultaneously pursuing a vigorous study about healing and its relationship to the expansion of human potential.

That journey of more than four decades has brought her in contact with some of the most gifted doctors, scientists, healers and spiritual leaders around the world.

Now, Wagner has brought this collective wisdom into a transformational process that has made a profoundly positive change in so many peoples lives.

The “Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart” workshop is based on the concept that “our experience of any life circumstance is a result of our personal perspective more than the circumstance itself.”

It is designed to help recognize and shift the conscious and unconscious concepts we carry in the mind which often have a life diminishing influence on others and ourselves.

For many, the workshop can be the catalyst needed to break through old or undesirable patterns affecting our family dynamics, intimate relationships, self-image, parenting, friendships and our work or career. This shift helps us to more readily access the peace, joy and connectedness, which is naturally within us.

Wagner’s approach presents a range of methodologies to experience and learn, with quiet time, beautiful music and laughter woven throughout. Most importantly, she creates a safe and loving environment for this exploration combining psychology and spirituality, which is key to the workshop’s proven success.

Lindsay has presented her workshops in the US, Canada and Mexico and in November 2008 took them to Europe for the first time holding programs for caregivers in England. In Spring 2009 she returned for a very successful three-month tour of the UK and Ireland.

Her two- and three-day “Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart” workshops and evening programs were held not only for the public, but included special programs for caregivers, those recovering from addictions and one for mental health practitioners from the UK National Health Service. 


The UK tour also saw the release of her first meditation CD, “Open To Oneness.” This seven-track collection of original music, together with Wagner’s powerful intention to awaken oneness, (a profound sense of connectedness) makes her first CD a unique labor of love. 


In 2010 Wagner returned to Europe for a third tour of the UK with her workshop and seminars and also presented them in Italy as well as six states in the USA and in 2011 she was kept busy with workshops in the US and Canada.

This is her first workshop in Hawaii.

— Find out more:
www.lindsaywagnerinter…

Toby Taniguchi and Barry Taniguchi of KTA Super Stores, Mayor Billy Kenoi, and Bobby Command of the County stand with one of the new AEDs at the West Hawaii Civic Center donated by the Taniguchis.

MEDIA RELEASE

When KTA Super Stores says “You’re someone special every day at KTA,” they really mean it. The island supermarket chain, which has served generations of Hawai‘i County residents, is also looking out for their lives as well with the donation of seven AED devices to the West Hawai‘i Civic Center. Given to the people in the name of store founders Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi, these kits are located in strategic places around the WHCC campus, and could one day save the life of a person suffering from cardiac arrest.

An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is a device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrythmias known as ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, and treats them through defibrillation, the application of an electrical shock which stops the arrhythmia and allows the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. AEDs are designed to be simple to use for anyone, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first-aid, first responder, and basic life support (BLS) level CPR classes.

Toby Taniguchi, KTA executive vice president for store operations, said he overheard Deputy Managing Director Wally Lau at a Waimea “Talk Story” event asking former Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira if there were any funds to purchase AEDs following the near death of Bobby Command, one of the mayor’s executive assistants, due to such a heart arrhythmia. “I could hear the passion in his voice,” said Taniguchi. “We already have these in our stores, and when I heard Wally, I decided to ask my dad (CEO Barry Taniguchi) and asked if he could help me locate available resources to make a donation to the County possible.”

What started out as a couple of AEDs, turned into seven. “You know how it goes: I said how much would it be for two, three, then four and they got cheaper (per unit) as we kept asking for more,” said Toby Taniguchi. “And when I explained that we were going to donate the units to the County, the vendor gave us an additional discount. I’m real glad we were able to buy a bunch of them at such a good price.”

Lau said one would have been a great gift, but seven allows a much quicker response time. “If we just had one in the mayor’s office or the council chambers, that would have meant a wait for someone who was in distress on the other side of the campus,” he said. “Anyone will tell you that when your heart stops, quick action can prevent brain damage and death.”

That was evident in February when Command had a bout with ventricular fibrillation while on vacation in Honolulu. If it were not for the quick action of a number of Chaminade University students who immediately began performing CPR, Command would likely have been one of about 300,000 people who die of similar episodes in the United States each year. Instead, he is one of the 5 percent who survive and keep living normal lives. “They kept me alive for almost 10 minutes until the ambulance arrived,” he said. “When the paramedics got there, they used an AED and it started my heart right up.”

Barry Taniguchi recalled seeing the story about Command, which appeared on a number of Hawaii TV news programs and quickly helped son Toby locate the resources needed to procure the devices. “My mother died of the same condition as Bobby Command,” said Barry, “So it is appropriate that we donate these units.”

Hawai‘i County Mayor Billy Kenoi said KTA’s donation is typical of generosity of the Taniguchi family. “One day someone is going to need an AED at the Civic Center, and they will have KTA Super Stores to thank,” said Mayor Kenoi. “I’ve seen the Taniguchis step up so many times and never once ask for recognition. We are so fortunate that the Taniguchis are members of our community.”

The Philips Heartstart Defribilators cost about $2,000 each and has a shelf life of about five to seven years. Each unit will begin chirping when it needs to be serviced. The servicing normally consists of replacing the standby battery. The units are also “smart,” and will first analyze the patient’s condition and determine if a shock is needed. It also records the episode for later use by doctors.

MEDIA RELEASE

As a precautionary measure, certain production lots of Martinelli’s Gold Medal® Sparkling Cider in six-pack shrink-bundled 250 mL glass bottles are being recalled in the Western United States due to the possibility of a defective seal that could break when opening the bottle.

The six-pack shrink-bundled 250 mL Martinelli’s Gold Medal Sparkling Cider “Best By” dates being recalled are:

• 11 APR 2014
• 12 APR 2014
• 13 APR 2014
• 14 APR 2014

These production codes can be found on the front, lower corner of the bottle label under the words “BEST BY:” in a gold colored box. They are for case UPC 4124499932, six-pack UPC 4124446256, and single bottle UPC 4124400256.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are asked to return the product to the store where it was purchased for product replacement or credit.

Note: The 750 mL size of Martinelli’s Gold Medal Sparkling Cider is NOT affected and is NOT part of this recall.

For further information, contact the Recall Hotline at 1-800-662-1868, ext 333, or email us at Customer_Service@marti…

S. Martinelli & Company, a family-owned business in Watsonville, California, has been producing award-winning apple juice & apple cider since 1868. For more information, visit www.martinellis.com

MEDIA RELEASE

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun awarding almost $339 million to state and local health departments across the United States to fund HIV prevention activities this year.

The awards are for the first year of a five-year funding cycle and represent a new direction for CDC HIV funding designed to achieve a higher level of impact with every federal HIV prevention dollar spent.

The awards are a critical component of CDC’s new high-impact approach to HIV prevention and better align resources to reflect the geographic burden of the HIV epidemic today.

As part of this funding announcement, CDC is also providing the health departments with new, specific guidance for prioritizing the most effective prevention programs that will have the greatest impact on reducing new HIV infections.

Providing funding to health departments has long been CDC’s single largest investment in HIV prevention, accounting for approximately half of CDC’s overall HIV prevention budget.

“With 50,000 new HIV infections every year and a tough economic environment, the need to do more with existing resources is greater than ever,” said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.

“This new approach to prevention funding is designed to focus on the places where needs are most urgent and on the programs that will have the most far-reaching impact,” Fenton said. “It will help us achieve the ambitious goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy with the efficiency and urgency the HIV epidemic demands.”

Funds were awarded to health departments in all 50 states, eight cities, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and the six Pacific Island jurisdictions.

The funds are allocated to individual health departments according to a formula that better matches resources to the geographic burden of HIV, as measured by the number of people reported living with HIV in each jurisdiction.

This new funding approach ensures that many areas with heavier HIV burdens receive urgently needed funding increases.

CDC will award an additional $20 million to health departments by March 2012 as part of this funding cycle to implement innovative HIV prevention demonstration projects. CDC is currently reviewing applications for this competitive round of funding.

“State and local health departments are the backbone of the nation’s HIV prevention efforts,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. “This latest round of funding will help them lead the nation to slow, and ultimately end, the HIV epidemic in the United States – a public health imperative that could finally be achieved.”

MEDIA RELEASE

Kona Community Hospital offers Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers on Jan. 5 and Jan. 24. The four-hour class is 8:00 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Classes are located in KCH’s Conference Room 3.

Healthcare providers include physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, EMT’s and persons working in healthcare are welcome.

A Heartsaver CPR with AED course will be provided 8 a.m.-noon Jan. 10 in Conference Room 3. This course is geared for community members and is usually required for people who are nursing students or nurse aide students, massage therapists, care home operators, etc.

This course covers CPR for infants, children, and adults, Automated External Defibrillators (AED) training, and choking techniques.

In addition, a Heartsaver CPR with AED and First Aid will be offered 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 10. It will cover everything mentioned including First Aid.

KCH will also have one ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) update renewal course. It is scheduled 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 in KCH’s Conference Room 2 and 3.

It is designed to update healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills needed to perform in the first 10 minutes of an actual resuscitation. Prior ACLS Provider Course completion is required within the last 2 years. Demonstration of knowledge of Basic Life Support (CPR) skills will be required during course.

All of these classes are open to the community.

For more information, call KCH’s Education Department at 322-4560.