Thursday, January 23, 2025
1/23/2025
Hawaii Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Program Hawaii is unique and diverse in both its geography and demographics. Hawaii’s four main counties (Honolulu, Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii) are spread across seven inhabited islands (Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai, and Niihau). Honolulu County, which includes the island of Oahu, is home to around 70% of the state’s nearly 1.5 million residents. The four largest adult ethnic groups are White (25.9%), Japanese (18.5%), Native Hawaiian/Part Native Hawaiian (18.5%), and Filipino (15.1%), with a large proportion identifying as more than one race/ethnicity group. [1] Obesity and chronic disease continue to rise among all ethnicities and all income levels, across all Hawaiian Islands. Significant disparities in overweight/obesity are evident in most sub-populations, particularly Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, persons living in Hawaii County, and low-income households. Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) had the highest obesity rates, both over 41%. 61% of adults in Hawaii are living with at least one chronic condition such as diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. [2] The purpose of the Hawaii REACH Program is to reduce the rates of chronic disease, risk factors, and health disparities that impact the Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) living in six priority communities across the state. This will be accomplished by implementing policy, systems and environmental changes that increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease tobacco use. The following strategies will be implemented to achieve the desired outcomes: Nutrition Strategy: Support policies and implement activities that increase healthy food procurement and distribution, and that increase access to fruit and vegetable voucher incentive and produce prescription programs in priority communities. Physical Activity Strategy: Support policies and implement activities that increase quick-build demonstration projects and plans in priority communities, and that connect multi-modal routes and networks to everyday destinations. Tobacco Strategy: Support adoption of and strengthen commercial tobacco prevention and control policies in priority communities. The Hawaii State Department of Health’s Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division (CDPHPD) will partner with the Hawaii Public Health Institute’s (HIPHI) Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii (CTFH) and “Healthy Eating Active Living” (HEAL) community coalitions to lead the Hawaii REACH Program. Both organizations have considerable experience developing evidence-based initiatives that positively impact nutrition and physical activity, decrease tobacco use, and that prioritize disparate populations. The CDPHPD and HIPHI have strong state and local partnerships and proven success in leveraging resources from multiple stakeholders to improve health across the state. [1] Hawaii Health Data Warehouse. Hawaii State Department of Health. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. (2020). Retrieved March 20, 2023 from http://hhdw.org. [2] Hawaii Health Data Warehouse. Hawaii State Department of Health. 2016-2020 American Community Survey. (2022). Retrieved March 20, 2023 from http://hhdw.org.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).