Three in five college students nationwide reported being diagnosed with anxiety, depression or another mental health condition by a professional, according to a Harris Poll released this year.
To help meet the unique needs of Native Hawaiian students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) Department of Native Hawaiian Health launched Ka Malu a Waʻahila. The program is free to students and was developed at the request of the UH Mānoa Kūaliʻi Native Hawaiian Advisory Council and funded by the UH Mānoa Office of the Provost.
“This is an important service being provided to our kānaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) students and I commend the Waʻahila program and JABSOM, our school of medicine, for stepping up and meeting this challenge. We need to support all of our student needs so they are able to focus on their studies and this program will provide an invaluable service,” said UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno.
Students have access to individual therapy services, monthly kūkākūkā (discussion) group support sessions, and additional tools for self-help and resiliency via the program’s website and social media platforms.
Students from across the UH system also have access to the MyHealthStory2 app, a video-based digital platform designed to capture student experiences relating to mental health. The interactive app was developed in partnership with HealthTechApps, a Native Hawaiian-owned and-operated tech startup founded through the UH Mānoa Innovation Center.
Read more at Hawaii.edu.
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