NEWS RELEASE
Kamehameha Schools and Hawaiʻi Pacific Health join forces for greater community impact
Posted: June 25, 2019
Honolulu - (June 25, 2019) – Kamehameha Schools (KS) is joining forces with Hawai‘i Pacific Health (HPH) in an effort to improve the education, health, economic stability and social well-being of students and families across Hawai‘i. This cross sector partnership is the first for KS with a not-for-profit health care system, creating a unique opportunity for both organizations to serve more haumāna and families beyond their campuses and existing community programs.
The memorandum of agreement was signed at a ceremony today by Kamehameha Schools’ Chief Executive Officer Jack Wong and Hawai‘i Pacific Health’s President and CEO Ray Vara. The organizations will be collaborating toward shared goals of creating more resilient children and strengthening families through education, economic empowerment, expanded career pathways, increased ‘āina-based experiences, improved community health and advancement of the Hawaiian culture and language.
“Hawai‘i Pacific Health and Kamehameha Schools share a common understanding that for us to achieve our organizations’ respective missions, we must extend our reach beyond the walls of our institutions and work together to strengthen and enhance the lives of our children and families across Hawai‘i,” Vara said. “Through the efforts of both organizations, we will address the root issues that impact the long-term health of our local communities and create sustainable change.”
Both organizations recognize the health of the native Hawaiian population is disproportionately lower than that of the overall state, and strongly believe integrating a commitment to Hawaiian culture and language while increasing a connection to the ‘āina is essential to addressing this disparity.
“We are combining the good work, resources and visions of our organizations into a powerful collaboration of health, education and culture that can have a greater collective impact,” Wong said. “With the community at the heart of our work, and our shared dedication to Hawaiian culture guiding us, we will take action that help Hawai‘i’s haumāna and ‘ohana thrive.”
Many factors impact the health of a community, from employment and food production to educational access. The partnership seeks to address these underlying root causes through joint occupational training programs, internships, increased outreach by HPH, financial and employment support centers, increased ‘āina-based education and more.
