By Tino Ramirez
Advertiser North Shore Bureau
KAHUKU — Since opening a year ago to provide services for residents without medical insurance, Kahuku Hospital’s North Shore Community Health Clinic has seen more than 500 patients and hopes to reach even more when its Hale‘iwa clinic opens this spring.
"It’s been a huge success and accomplished everything it set out to do," said Kahuku’s chief executive officer, Wayne Fairchild. "It’s been good for the community and the hospital."
By helping uninsured patients before their conditions worsen, the hospital need not admit them, then cover the cost of their care. Facing bankruptcy throughout much of the past decade, the hospital spent about $500,000 each year treating the uninsured.
"The clinic has also changed the image of the hospital in the community," said Fairchild. "We’re now seen as part of the community, not the hospital on the hill holding on for dear life."
Besides providing initial care, referring patients to local physicians for follow-ups and enrolling them in insurance programs, such as Med-Quest, Hawai‘i Immigrant Health Initiative and the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, the clinic also has a food pantry for the needy, provides family planning education and gynecological examinations, and houses the Women, Infants, Children program.
The clinic’s clientele is very appreciative of the service, said Stephany Vaioleti, a social worker who interviews patients to see if they qualify for Med-Quest insurance. They need not travel out of the community, receive personal attention and can call back for more assistance, she said.
Recently, for example, an 18-year-old well along in her pregnancy visited the clinic and was given her first prenatal examination.
"She was also able to walk over to our office and do the interview for Quest, and we helped her enroll in (Women, Infants, Children) and got her on her way," said Vaioleti. "Rather than schedule an appointment in (Honolulu) for her Quest interview, then waiting six or eight weeks to find out if she qualifies, she'll know in two weeks."
During visits for other conditions, patients have also discovered they have conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, said Jeanette Baer, the physician’s assistant who runs the clinic.
"Let’s say a woman comes in for a yeast infection," said Baer. "With a woman who’s getting a lot of yeast infections, one of the things you need to check for is diabetes. If a patient doesn’t qualify for insurance, the clinic will provide ongoing care in consultation with physicians."
In May, said Fairchild, the hospital plans to open a clinic at the Xcel Wetsuits building in Hale‘iwa. Last year, the hospital estimated that 4,000 people living between Ka‘a‘awa and Waialua don’t have health insurance.
"There’s a great need in that community, too, and we’re looking at doing the same thing and providing the same services," Fairchild said.
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