HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Queen's gets help retaining nurses
Advertiser Staff
The Queen's Medical Center has received a five-year, $1.15 million federal training grant to boost nurse retention and the quality of patient care.
Queen's President Arthur Ushijima yesterday said the grant application was part of a larger effort to reduce the nurse shortage in Hawai'i.
Officials hope to use the money to improve the orientation program for nurses in their first year on the job.
"We have some of the best nurses in the profession here at Queen's, and my goal is to keep them here," Ushijima said in a written statement. "This grant is great news because it will help us implement a retention system that will benefit our nurses and improve patient care."
The grant is funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
BIG ISLAND
$5,000 REWARD IN SCHOOL FIRE
Big Island police and federal authorities are reminding the public that there's a $5,000 reward offered for information in connection with an April 11 fire that did an estimated $1.5 million in damage to Waiakea High School.
The early morning fire was the third deliberately set fire this year on the campus at 155 W. Kawili St. No one was injured in any of the fires.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and county police are offering the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the April 11 fire.
Tipsters can provide information by calling (888) ATF-FIRE, or by calling Hilo police at 961-2383. All calls are confidential.
CRASH VICTIM HAD HEART ATTACK
An autopsy has revealed that a 57-year-old man who crashed his car on Kilauea Avenue in Hilo on Monday died of a heart attack, Big Island police said.
Lester Fujioka of Hilo was driving a 1998 Chevrolet pickup truck traveling north on Kilauea Avenue shortly before 12:29 p.m. when the truck crossed the centerline at Palai Street, clipped a utility pole and struck two parked vehicles.
A fire department ambulance took Fujioka to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:08 p.m.
HEIAU'S HISTORIC STATUS CELEBRATED
The 34th anniversary of the establishment of Pu'ukohola Heiau as a national historic site will be celebrated this weekend by the National Park Service.
The annual Establishment Day Hawaiian cultural festival is set for 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow and from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the heiau along the Big Island's Kohala Coast. The stone heiau was built in 1790-91 by Kamehameha I as he embarked on his quest to conquer the Hawaiian Islands.
A formal traditional royal court assembly known as Na Papa Kanaka o Pu'ukohola — composed of chiefs, warriors, elders, priests and orators — will march and make offerings to open the activities at 7 a.m. tomorrow. About 20 cultural demonstrations and workshops will run through the day in Pelekane, or the royal courtyard area, near the beach.
Parking will be available at the coral flats, south of Kawaihae Harbor. The two-day event is free. Visitors are advised to pack their own refreshments and wear comfortable clothing.
