Health Coalition Offering Screenings Island-Wide

A coalition of health-care providers will be traveling caravan-style around the Big Island in September providing free health screenings and education.

WE, which calls itself “a hui for health,” and Project Vision Hawaii will offer a variety of wellness services including  vision assessment, kidney function, breast exams and other women’s issues, family caregiver counseling and mental health information.

Other areas in which WE is involved include hepatitis risk assessment and Medicare information.

The coalition plans 13 stops on the Big Island this month. It anticipates assisting more than 8,000 individuals in lower-income, rural and under-resourced areas, particularly native Hawaiians. The assistance is available in a number of languages, the group said in a statement.

The primary sponsor for the Big Island services is the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, with statewide assistance provided by Young Brothers, Lions Clubs, ‘Ohana Health plan and a variety of non-profit health advocacy groups, government agencies and native Hawaiian health organizations.

“WE events promote taking charge of your health,” said Elizabeth “Annie” Hiller, cofounder of WE in 2011. “We know folks want to take their health into their own hands, and we are coming to help them do just that.”

The coalition’s first stop will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, at the Ocean View Community Center in Ka`u. That will be followed by a session from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ka`u Rural Health Community Association in Pahala.

The rest of the Big Island schedule includes:

• Sept. 8: Volcano Farmer’s Market, 6 to 10 a.m.
• Sept. 13: Walmart Hilo, 4 to 7 p.m.
• Sept. 14: Hilo Life Care Center, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Sept. 15: Maku‘u Farmer’s Market, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Sept. 19, 20: Hilo County Fair, 5:30 to 9 p.m.
• Sept. 21: Hilo County Fair, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Sept. 22: Parker Ranch Center, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Sept. 26: Honoka‘a Salvation Army, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Sept. 27: Kona Salvation Army, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Sept. 28: Kona, Lanihau Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sept. 29: Waikoloa Village Association tennis courts, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, visit here.