Lingle names state health chief
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday appointed physician Chiyome Leinaala Fukino director of the state Department of Health.
Photos by Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Lingle also named public health professional and nurse Jane K. Kadohiro as deputy director.
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday announced the appointment of Dr. Chiyome Leinaala Fukino as state health director.
Fukino, a relative newcomer to state government, has had a private practice in internal medicine since 1985. She also serves part-time on the medical staff of the state-owned Leahi Hospital and heads the Hawaii Medical Association's Native Hawaiian Health Committee.
The Health Department has been the focus of criticism in several areas, including its operation of the Hawai'i State Hospital and its ability to provide mental-health services mandated by the federal Felix Consent Decree for special-needs children in public schools.
"I know we've been trashed as a state because of our care of the mentally ill," Fukino said. "I think the care of the mentally ill is a very difficult problem for the nation to handle as a whole.
Chiyome Leinaala Fukino • Age: 52 • Previous jobs: Private practice physician; Leahi Hospital part-time medical staff; Queen's Physician Group medical director; Kahi Mohala contract consultant; Fronk Clinic physician. • Education: University of Hawai'i Integrated Medical Residency Program, internal medicine; UH John A. Burns School of Medicine, M.D.; Brandeis University, bachelor's in psychology; Kamehameha Schools.
Jane K. Kadohiro • Age: 55 • Previous jobs: University of Hawai'i School of Nursing assistant professor; diabetes and community planning consultant; nurse investigator, Honolulu Heart Program and the University of Hawai'i School of Medicine; Queen's Medical Center diabetes nurse educator; chronic disease program administrator, preventative health services branch acting chief, Department of Health; home health services coordinator and project administrator, Department of Health public nursing branch. • Education: Yale University, postdoctoral work in diabetes research; UH doctorate of public health; UH master's in nursing, master's in public health, bachelor's in nursing, bachelor's in sociology.
"I was asked why do I want to take this job on, because to the average doctor out in the community, it's really a rattlesnake's nest," Fukino said with a smile. "I worked for so many years on Native Hawaiian issues and I really feel that this is a time that I can make a significant difference ... not just for Native Hawaiians but for all vulnerable populations in this state."
Appointees to the state Health Department
• Post: Director, state Department of Health
• Post: Deputy director
Fukino said her top three priorities for the department are long-term care, substance abuse and mental health. She also said she wants to expand public access to quality healthcare, improve the gathering of health data, and increase collaboration between the public and private sector.
Lingle said she was impressed with Fukino's background in Native Hawaiian health issues and that their priorities for the Health Department were in sync. Lingle said both Fukino and Kadohiro, who has worked in the state Health Department for nearly 12 years, bring "tremendous credentials to the job."
Lingle's appointment of Fukino is subject to Senate confirmation.
Senate Health Committee Chairwoman Rosalyn Baker said she doesn't know Fukino, but that "she certainly seems to have the right attitude in terms of acknowledging some of the needs in terms of prevention and making sure that our public-health programs are top notch.
"Her learning curve is going to be great," Baker said, "but she'll also be looking at things through fresh eyes and that's always useful to have."
The Rev. Frank Chong, former executive director of the Waikiki Community Health Center, said he doesn't know Fukino well but that he hopes she will raise more awareness about health issues surrounding Native Hawaiians and the poor.
"The reality is unless someone is out there really pushing it, it doesn't get addressed," said Chong, who also served on the transition committee that recommended health director candidates to Lingle. "Her presence hopefully will get those issues talked about."
Fukino, who will earn $85,302 annually, said she would begin her term as health director sometime after Christmas.
Fukino is also the fourth Native Hawaiian appointee in Lingle's administration. The others are chief of staff Bob Awana, budget director Georgina Kawamura, and Department of Hawaiian Homelands director Micah Kane.
