Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - The Hana Health Rehabilitation and Support Center will be a 3,800 square foot facility, designed to meet the current and projected health care, ancillary care and support service needs of the Hana district. The new facility will allow for the expansion of Hana Health’s services and reach into the community. Space will be provided for growing behavioral health care, telemedicine and healthy lifestyle programs. The “rehab center” will allow for the development of new services to meet the communities need for physical therapy, chiropractic services, complimentary and traditional healing services and cardiac rehabilitation. Administrative offices will also be relocated from trailers to the new facility. Construction of the “rehab center” started in October 2021 with completion expected by the end of 2022. The new facility will be located immediately behind the medical center on land leased from the State of Hawaii for $1 a year. The rural district of Hana (Census Tract 301) is one of the most isolated areas in the state of Hawaii. It is made up of small, isolated settlements scattered over 233 square miles. Located 57 miles from Wailuku, the trip from Hana takes approximately 2.5 hours, at a speed of between 10 and 25 miles an hour, along a single lane road with 617 turns and 56 one-lane bridges. During the rainy season, October to March, the frequent storms often wash out the roadways, and disrupt electricity and telephone services. If not for Hana Health, virtually all health care – primary, specialty, tertiary, ancillary, urgent/emergent services - would need to be obtained from the main population center on the other side of the island, requiring a 4 to 5-hour roundtrip. Hana is federally designated as a Medically Under-Served Population, a Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area, a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area and a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. Overall, Hana District residents, particularly Native Hawaiians, have a high- risk health profile resulting in the onset of preventable chronic health conditions and premature death. This is exasperated by high rates of unemployment/underemployment and poverty. In addition, there is limited access to mediating opportunities due to the extreme isolation, small population, limited economic base and rural nature of the Hana District. The Hana Health Rehabilitation and Support Center is designed to meet the health care needs of the 1,900 people residing in the Hana District, 75% of whom are Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders Alone or in Combination with Other Races. All district residents will benefit from having access to an expanded level of health care services in this remote, low/moderate income region of the island where at least 62% of households are below the median income level (2018 Census Data). In order to reduce socioeconomic inequality, it is important to address factors that are associated with the health status of poor communities.
