Health care providers in Waianae are calling for more resources to expand their services for a community shaken by high rates of gun violence in the last several years.
Government support and funding has remained stagnant for at least a decade while funding for other programs gutted during the 2008 recession have yet to be fully restored, providers said. Meanwhile, community organizations such as local churches have been doing what they can to fill in the gaps.
There have been at least nine murders and manslaughters on the Waianae Coast this year, according to Honolulu Police Department crime data. In the most recent incident over the Labor Day weekend, a man shot five people and killed three before he was shot and killed by a relative of the victims.
The center recently launched a trauma and resilience program to help residents dealing with the mental toll of violence, which includes workshops, individual counseling and group support sessions. The center is seeking $500,000 from the state and city to help support the program, but will continue those services even if the funding doesn’t come through, Executive Vice President Nicholas Hughey said. The center also needs additional financial assistance for its emergency room.
Hale Naau Pono, a community mental health center right down the hill from the comprehensive health center has also struggled financially. It once provided a broad range of services under the state’s Assertive Community Treatment program, targeted at individuals dealing with acute mental health conditions.
Hale Naau Pono has been doing what it can with limited resources. It operates group homes that provide mental health services and assists adolescents in the state’s child welfare system, providing in-home therapy programs and working with children in foster care.
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