KONA, Hawaii - The 178th Medical Group of the Ohio Air National Guard provided free medical services to the local community here at Waikoloa Elementary School June 9.
It was one of several locations served during 178 MDG’s two-week training deployment during which the unit will provide free medical services to underserved communities throughout the Big Island that do not have access to healthcare.
On this trip, patients received health assessments, including measurements of height, weight, blood pressure and blood glucose. Hearing and vision screenings as well as a health history were also performed by unit physicians.
A 34-foot recreational vehicle with two dental chairs was also available for all dental procedures from screenings to root canals.
Hawai’i County Councilman Pete Hoffmann, who serves on the Board of Directors for the West Hawaii Community Health Center, helped determine the location for the event.
“It’s one of the largest areas,” he said. “Also, it’s 7,500 people, and I know that we have a fairly serious medical issues and a very diverse community.
Hoffman said the area is also very rural. “High school kids drive 35 miles each way to school each day. This is much like many farm communities in the United States,” he said. “I know we are 20 to 25 miles from hospitals or health services.”
In addition to being medically underserved, Kona also faces issues receiving what healthcare is available.
“[Our] current economic environment; it’s very depressed,” said Gayle Haunani Hunt, the director of communications and resource development at the West Hawaii Community Health Center. “We are heavily dependent, especially on the Kona coast, on tourism, and tourism is down significantly. How we usually gauge this is by the hotel occupancy rate. And on this island, the hotel occupancy rate is the lowest in the state at under 50 percent.
“And anyone who is in the industry will tell you, that in order to kind of make it, you need to be at least 70 percent,” said Hunt. “If you’re going to be down with your main economic engine, you’re going to affect everything else.”
Cindy Pua-Santiago, a resident who received medical services at the event, brought 10 family members with her.
“It just started out with bring my oldest for a physical—a sports physical. After that, I decided to run home and bring the entire family down,” she said.
“Clearly this is an outstanding program that the Air Guard provides for us,” Hoffman said. “We have serious medical issues on this island.”
This training deployment benefits both and the local people of Kona and the Air Guard members.
Aside from the medical benefits to the locals, serving these communities also provides a training benefit to the 178 MDG.
“This kind of hands-on [training], that is outside of the military; you don’t see in a combat situation,” said Maj. Bill Brown, who was the deployment organizer for the 178th. “Experience on the peace-side complements our war-time training.
“If a flood or natural disaster happens in the state of Ohio, we’ll be equipped to help. We don’t get to practice that side of [medicine] very often.”
The unit will continue these services until the conclusion of its training on June 18.
“The benefit you get from serving, and the patients really appreciate it, you can’t quantify it,” said Brown.