Hawaii Island Community Health Center brings health care back to Nā‘ālehu with a mobile clinic
In the aftermath of Hurricane Lala, neighbors, first responders, businesses, government agencies, and community organizations are working together to clear mud, deliver essential supplies, check on kūpuna and families, and begin the difficult task of rebuilding across Kaʻū.
Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center’s Kaʻū Health and Dental Center, which is a five-minute walk from Punaluʻu Bake Shop, was inundated by the same devastating floodwaters that swept through the surrounding area. Deep mud filled the property, and the health center building remains without power or reliable connectivity. The facility is currently unsafe for patient care and will require significant remediation before it can reopen.
Many of the Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center staff and medical team members who serve Kaʻū live in the same communities as their patients and experienced hurricane impacts as well.
Despite these challenges, the Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center is working urgently to bring healthcare back to one of the areas hardest hit by the storm and restore services across its broader network.
The organization is now focused on restoring direct access to care before its health center can reopen so that patients can reach their care teams, access medications, and receive essential health services.
Beginning next week, Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center plans to establish its mobile clinic in the parking lot of the damaged Nā‘ālehu health center, bringing medical and behavioral health care directly back into the community.
“Our health center building may not be ready to reopen, but that does not mean healthcare has to wait. Kaʻū is our community, and we will be there caring for our patients, supporting our neighbors, and rebuilding alongside them,” said Victoria Hanes, executive vice president of operations and administration.
Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center will continue to share updates as mobile services become available and as plans develop for the remediation and reopening of the Kaʻū Health and Dental Center.
Since Hurricane Lala, Isemoto Contracting helped the health center clear the deep mud and debris from the health center parking lot, the Hawaiʻi Fire Department helped hand-deliver prescriptions to patients when access to the health center was limited, and international nonprofit Disaster Relief sent hygiene supplies, emergency response materials, and vital medical supplies.
To support the hurricane response and recovery efforts, including resources to help restore healthcare access and support communities affected by the storm, visit the Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center website.
