Health briefs
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer
$1.3 million grant to aid uninsured
The state Department of Health, in partnership with The Hawai'i Uninsured Project, has received a $1.3 million grant to help ensure access to affordable health insurance.
Hawai'i is one of three states to be awarded a grant through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's State Coverage Initiative program.
Project officials said Hawai'i has slipped from ranking first in the nation with the fewest uninsured to 13th. Executive Director Joan White said that means 10.7 percent of the population or about 117,000 people lack coverage.
The money will support a three-year effort to develop and start up programs to make affordable health insurance available to uninsured people in the state.
Gov. Linda Lingle said affordable healthcare is a priority for her administration.
The Hawai'i Uninsured Project, in its fourth year, is surveying the community, analyzing data and developing economic models to identify cost-effective strategies to cover the greatest number of uninsured residents.
Activity, studies focus of talk
Balancing concern for curbing the national trend toward childhood obesity while maintaining an emphasis on academic basics will be part of a talk by visiting speaker Dr. JoAnne L. Owens-Nauslar.
Owens-Nauslar is president of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
She will discuss the implications of the national educational initiative titled "No Child Left Behind" on health and physical education in our schools.
Owens-Nauslar will speak at Punahou School's Luke Lecture Hall in the Wo International Center at 7 p.m. Feb. 26.
Parking is available on Chamberlain Drive. Enter the main gate at Wilder and Punahou, keep left around the athletic field. Wo International Center is at the diamondhead end of Chamberlain Drive.
The event is hosted by the Hawai'i Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Seating is limited. Organizers request R.S.V.P.s at hahperd@hotmail.com; give name and telephone number by Feb. 24.
For more information, call Delores Curtis at 732-1598.
Seminar to look at fibromyalgia
A free seminar on fibromyalgia will be offered at 6 p.m. March 4 at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center. The event is sponsored by the Arthritic Foundation.
Fibromyalgia (fye-bro-my-AL-gee-ah) is an arthritis-related condition associated with general muscular pain and fatigue.
The term "fibromyalgia" means pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Non-Kaiser members are welcome to attend the seminar, and no registration is needed.
The foundation estimates that 2 percent of the population suffers from the syndrome.
Dr. James McKoy, a rheumatologist, will talk about the often-misunderstood illness.
For more information about Arthritis Foundation programs and services, call 942-3636 or (800) 462-0743, or visit the Web site at www.arthritis.org.
