Happy Thanksgiving, all.
The students of the Leadership Training Program at Honokaa High School are pleased to announce the date and time of their annual community Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner, hosted and sponsored in part by Honokaa High School, will be held at the Honokaa High School Cafeteria on Wednesday, Nov. 21, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
This community Thanksgiving dinner is one of several service projects planned and implemented for the community through the students’ practice of student leadership. The event provides a free turkey dinner to all who attend.
Turkeys purchased with donations to the event will be prepared by the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. There will be entertainment and door prizes for those in attendance. The event serves as an opportunity for the school and community to come together for a celebration of thanks.
Meals are delivered to shut-ins in the Honokaa area (Honokaa, Kukuikaele, Haina, Paauhau and Kalopa) who request this service. If you are a shut-in or know of someone who would like a meal delivered to them, please call Justin Warren, Gabriel Ramirez or Angella Brandt at 775-8800, ext. 264.
The Thanksgiving dinner is made possible through generous donations from school classes and clubs, Hamakua Energy Partners, Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center, as well as other community organizations, individuals and the fund-raising efforts of the students of the leadership training program.
We would like to express our gratitude to all those who have contributed to this dinner in the past. Without the generosity of these community members, this dinner would not be possible.
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Care coordinators and patient navigators will go the extra mile for patients with chronic disease at the Hamakua Health Center. The phone is always ringing in the office shared by Mich Fried, RN and Serie Brown. These two are a team — Fried, as the care coordinator, monitors and manages facilitation of primarily the clinical components of the patients’ care plan, and Brown, as the patient navigator, helps patients connect with the services they need and assists in managing their appointments.
Their goal: to help 100 patients in the North Hawaii region with the most complex care needs to better manage their health.
“Every day is different and every patient is unique,” said Brown. “We strive to figure out how we can help. We look at the patient’s entire situation and help connect them with the right resources in health care, social services, mental health counseling, and other areas. But it’s more than just referrals. We’re focused on understanding the root of the issues impacting the patient’s health, and we seek to earn the trust of the patient and empower them.”
This is a new approach to health care.
Brown is one of several patient navigators in HIBC’s Care Coordination initiative, a program started 10 months ago in partnership with Bay Clinic, Hamakua Health Center and West Hawaii Community Health Center to pilot a new approach to caring for patients with diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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It is time again for us to celebrate our musical talents with Gary Washburn at the 19th annual Alumni Ensembles Concert on Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Honokaa People’s Theatre. Come and enjoy a night filled with fun and talent and lots of laughter. We promise you a night you will never forget.
If you have any questions about this concert, you may call Gary Washburn at 775-8800 or Darlene E. Silva at 315-7465. Hawaii Performing Arts Festival is opening its doors to the artistic process, so come see the dress rehearsal of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” hear some great music, experience a great story and meet some amazing artists.
And it’s free, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Honokaa People’s Theatre. The first regular performance is on Saturday, Nov. 24, at the Gates Performing Arts Center on the campus of Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea.
Carol Yurth’s column is published every Sunday and spotlights activities on the Hilo-Hamakua coast. She welcomes items for her column. Reach her by mail (46-1240 Kalehua Road, Honokaa HI 96727) at least 10 days before the requested publication date, call her at 775-7101, or e-mail waiukahenutz@gmail.com.
