Grassroots Institute to hold luncheon in Kona May 10
Join us next week and find out why talking about the Legislature can be so much fun.
At the luncheon on Hawaii Island, Grassroot staffers will share their unique perspectives about our victories and our losses.
Some of our top staffers will share what they observed and learned about the highlights and lowlights — the good, the bad and the ugly — of what happened during the most recent legislative session.
This year we are sponsoring three luncheon events —on Maui, Hawaii Island and Oahu.
The featured Grassroot Institute staffers will be Malia Hill, policy director; Ted Kefalas, director of strategic campaigns; and Joe Kent, executive vice president. Joe Kent will moderate the Hawaii Island presentation.
Specific topics will include Gov. Josh Green’s wonderful tax plan, the governor’s terrible “green fee” proposal, what’s up with the Hawaii Tourism Authority, housing affordability, government transparency, the state general excise tax, medical licensing, the state budget and more.
Each event will feature a Q&A session, which will be your chance to ask questions of the speakers.
The Hawaii Island event will be held Wednesday, May 10, at the Hale Iako building in Kailua-Kona, 73-970 Makako Bay Drive, starting at 11:30 a.m. Admission is $10 and includes lunch and parking.
For more information, please call Sean Mitsui at 808-864-1776 or email info@grassrootinstitute.org.
May 18 Free Brown Bag Talk Explores “Courteous Curiosity”
The non-profit Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center will host a free talk on May 18 as part of their “Finding Solutions, Growing Peace” Brown Bag Lunch Series. Talks are Third Thursdays from 12 noon to 1 pm via Zoom.
This month’s speaker is Charlie Young on the topic “Courteous Curiosity: A Proactive Approach to Interacting with Others.”
“Perceptions can form by the time we are 5 years old. Our embedded perceptions affect how we approach and interact with people, especially those who seem to be ‘different’ than we are,” says Young. “Courteous curiosity can help uncover and even change perceptions.”
In this talk, explore how engaging in curious conversations and civil dialogue allows us to more deeply listen to and understand others (and ourselves).
Charlie Young holds a BA from St. John’s Seminary in Boston and served as a pastor for 19 years, after which he became a flight instructor, air taxi, and corporate pilot and later a corporate trainer and HR director. Since retiring, he has served as a professional and volunteer mediator in Oregon. Young co-authored the book “Constructive Communication,” developed a Civil Dialogue Program kit, and is planning a 4-hour video on “The Art of Civil Dialogue.”
Ku‘ikahi’s Brown Bag Lunch Series is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to enjoy an informal and educational talk-story session and connect with others interested in “Finding Solutions, Growing Peace.”
To get the Zoom link, register online at https://freebrownbagtalk.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center at (808) 935-7844 or info@hawaiimediation.org. Or visit www.hawaiimediation.org.
This lunch-and-learn series is made possible thanks in part to funding from the County of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i Island United Way.
Mental Health Month NAMI Family Class starts May 27th
May is Mental Health Month, established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hawaii/Big Island Affiliate will offer NAMI’s Signature Family-to-Family educational program starting on May 27th.
NAMI Family-to-Family is a free, 8-session education program for family, friends and significant others of adults with mental health conditions. NAMI Family-to-Family provides information about anxiety, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions. Other topics covered include communication, problem solving, treatment and recovery. The course is designed to increase understanding and advocacy skills while helping participants maintain their own well-being. The program is taught by trained family members who have a loved one with a mental health condition. NAMI Family-to-Family is an evidence-based program (EB). For information on the research base for the program, visit nami.org/research.
NAMI Family-to-Family will be presented virtually via Zoom on eight consecutive Saturday mornings on May 27, June 3, 10, 17, 24, July 1, 8 and 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. Space is limited to 20 participants who commit to attending a majority of the classes. Advance registration is required.
To register for NAMI Family-to-Family and more information on other programs and services contact NAMI Hawaii at (808) 591-1297, email: info@namihawaii.org or visit: www.namihawaii.org.
To submit an announcement to be shared in this section, email calendar@westhawaiitoday.com at least two weeks ahead of an event or required registration date. All submissions will be edited for content, style and parity treatment. Submit an Island Life photo, by emailing the image along with your name and a brief description to islandlife@westhawaiitoday.com.
Hawaii Island Hospitals Upgrade Electronic Health Information Systems
On June 1st, 2023, the West Hawaii Region (WHR) of Hawaii Health Systems, which includes Kona Community Hospital(KCH) and Kohala Hospital (KOH), is slated to go live with its new electronic health records systems (EHR). The EpicCARE*Link Community Connect implementation is made possible through a clinical partnership with Queen’s Health Systems(QHS). This partnership, neither a merger nor an acquisition, grants WHR access to QHS Epic CARE*Link EHR.
“At WHR, we are committed to providing the best possible care to our patients. That’s why we knew we needed to transition to the Epic CARE*Link EHR system.
With patient experience and outcomes as our top priorities, we are confident that Epic will streamline our clinical workflows and enhance communication among healthcare providers. Instant access to patient records means that providers can make the best possible decisions, especially in cases of trauma where patients are transported to Oahu. In addition, the system reduces redundancy and eliminates the need for patients to undergo redundant labs and imaging, since those results are accessible on the portal for other providers to see,” shared Clayton McGhan, WHR Chief Executive Officer.
Training remains the core of a successful implementation process. Since early April, hospital staff have attended required user training for the new application. The hospital has added staff to provide the current permanent staff with the necessary training and immersion into the new EHR. Various trainings will continue into mid-May and will be built into future orientations.
The hospitals have a soft-live date of May 20th, where hospital staff will work in two systems concurrently as they ramp up to the June 1st switchover date. Patients may experience longer wait times when checking in at the admitting counter.
“This is the culmination of a very long project,” shared Diane Hale, WHR Chief Nurse Executive. “We are thrilled to bring these benefits to our patients to improve their overall experience.”
To submit an announcement to be shared in this section, email calendar@westhawaiitoday.com at least two weeks ahead of an event or required registration date. All submissions will be edited for content, style and parity treatment. Submit an Island Life photo, by emailing the image along with your name and a brief description to islandlife@westhawaiitoday.com.