By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Two of the most powerful lines in Edgy Lee's documentary on Hawai'i's crystal meth problem came in the closing remarks. They were powerful because they were specific calls for action. The first:

"Hold your politicians accountable."

There's been a lot of what is politely referred to in certain circles as "Talking outta' both sides of yo' mout'."

On the one side, politicians are talking about "breaking the ice" and "saving the youth of Hawai'i."

On the other side come talks of budget cuts to school athletics, to youth centers in Kalihi, to library hours, to all manner of human services. The talk should be about health insurance coverage for detox and drug treatment. The talk should be about paying for more positions for counselors, social workers and public health outreach workers. The talk should be about increasing support for programs for kids.

There was lots of talk in the waning years of the Cayetano era about making Hawai'i the health and wellness state. World-class healthcare (which, many would point out, we have in a number of fields), a beefed-up research arm of the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine, Doc Buyers and his nutraceuticals ...

Providing this idea didn't go out with the Democrats' bath water, doesn't drug treatment fit into the vision?

Or maybe we just like the idea of wealthy folks dropping by in their jets for vanity colon scans and Botox parties by the pool. Drug addicts tend not to be wealthy.

Yet Minnesota has grown an industry around addiction treatment. Look up treatment centers in Minnesota and you'll find pages and pages of resources. Of course, drug treatment is just a part of the thriving healthcare industry in the area, which includes medical research at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota. Drug treatment isn't seen as solely a money pit. It's part of a larger, robust health industry.

So lets make sure our politicians are keeping their promises. Hawai'i, the healthcare state. Hawai'i, the wellness state. Let's go.

The other quote from the closing lines of the documentary was almost issued as a challenge:

"Become a foster parent."

Gay Tsukamaki of Friends of Foster Kids, a nonprofit organization that supports foster families, is hoping that folks took that one to heart.

"Foster parents are the soldiers in the war against ice," she says. "I heard someone say that and I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, that's it.' "

Hawai'i Behavioral Health is the agency that licenses and trains families. Right now, there is a huge need for stable, loving families to take in kids, to rescue them from the chaos of homes where drugs have taken hold, to show them that there is hope for a better life.

"There's a big need especially on the Leeward coast," Tsukamaki says. "I was told that 130 kids were placed in foster care just in that area so far in the month of September."

Tsukamaki believes there is a way that every person can help. The largest commitment, of course, would be to become a foster parent. For more information on how to apply, you can contact Hawai'i Behavioral Health at 454-2570.

Prospective foster parents (and yes, single parents can be foster parents) receive training from the agency. "Most of the families really enjoy the training," Tsukamaki says. "And also, if that doesn't sound like something they can do, they can channel themselves out and say, 'Well, I can't be a foster parent but I can do something else.' "

The 'something else' could be to support Friends of Foster Kids, either with a financial donation or by volunteering to help at one of their seasonal events for foster families, or by even offering to help a foster family cook meals or drive kids to lessons.

To reach Friends of Foster Kids, call Gay Tsukamaki at 521-9531, ext. 299.

Hawai'i, the aloha state. Let's go.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.