KAHUKU, Hawaii - Members of the Colorado Air National Guard's 140th Medical Group flew to the beautiful island of Oahu last week to support a domestic civil-military training program titled, "E Malama Kakou" or "to care for all."
The Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program is an opportunity for Air National Guard units to conduct hands-on, real-world training missions tailored to a unit's capabilities and mission essential tasks and requirements that enhance combat readiness, exercise leadership skills and strengthen unit morale and retention.
"Besides the training that they get out of it and the benefit for the community, it is a great morale booster," said Lt. Col Stephen Caton, program manager for the Air Guard's IRT program. "Because you have people ... who are able to go out and do something constructive, and they develop relationships with the community as well."
The goal of this two-week trip is to provide military medical personnel a premiere world-class training environment and provide service to medically under-served communities within Hawaii.
"For a population that is very underserved, they cannot either get to a medical facilities or they ... just can't afford it, we hold a health fair ... open the doors and let these people come in," Caton said.
Stephany Vaioleti, assistant administrator at Kahuku Medical Center, Denise Cooper, director of nursing at Kahuku Medical Center and Air National Guard Capt. Jason Iyomasa, ANG program Manager for the Hawaii Medical Innovative Readiness Training program, conducted a cultural familiarization class for the 140th Medical Group at the medical center here.
The medical group was divided into five teams and each team was given a box full of items that related to the Hawaiian culture. The teams then talked about the items and read the literature that was included in the box to the entire medical group.
"Hawaii - it's a place you either fall in love with, or people come here and fall in love and never leave," said Cooper.
The medical group also learned that there are a lot of challenges living in Oahu. Not only were the roads bad and traffic can be at a standstill for hours at a time, but there are no helicopter medical evacuation services, making it difficult for emergency service vehicles to pass through the heavy traffic on the one- and two-lane roads.
There is also a lack of affordable housing. Many households have three to four generations living in one home due to the high cost of living. On average, a mid-sized house sells for more than $500,000 and a condominium is over $200,000.
Vaioleti said sources indicate a cost of living ranging from 30 percent above the national average to well more than 60 percent for certain family sizes.
In 2006, a family of four renting in Honolulu needed to earn $111,695 - or 55 percent more income - to maintain a lifestyle similar to a comparable family earning $72,000 in the continental
Vaioleti said another struggle for Oahu residents is health insurance. In January 2006, the average cost for Health Maintenance Organization or managed care for an individual in Hawaii was $437 per month and for a family of four, $747 a month. The average cost for indemnity or non-managed care for an individual was $563 a month and for a family $936 a month.
Unfortunately, native Hawaiians have the poorest health statistics compared to other ethnic groups, such as Caucasians and Asians - including the highest death rates of all.
High disability rates secondary to stroke and cerebrovascular conditions, high rates of hypertension, twice the obesity rates, the highest cancer mortality rates, extremely high rates of diabetes have also been reported. Other health concerns include obesity, diabetes, asthma, poor dental health, drug abuse, inadequate prenatal care and teen births.
At the conclusion of the presentations, members of the Kahuku Medical Center staff expressed their gratitude to the 140th Medical Group for giving their time and efforts to help the communities of Oahu - not only for health care but also helping raise the morale of the people being served.
"This is our third year in the E Malama Kakou," said Iyomasa. "You will see a lot of diverse cultures, ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic differences, but we all need one thing and that is your help. We are really glad that you are here."
This year, the Air Guard will conduct one IRT mission in Arizona, two in Hawaii and two in Alaska. One of the Alaska missions will also include members of the other reserve components.
"It's a win-win situation. Not only do the units get great hands-on training, but it benefits the community as well," Caton said. "I hear a lot of people say, 'We help these other countries. Why can't we do something to help our own communities?' We are, and that is what this program is all about."