In the wake of the devastating wildfires on Maui last August, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Hawaiʻi has been involved in several community efforts to help those impacted by the tragedy. One unique and valued effort is a grassroots collective to provide and deploy traditional Native Hawaiian healing practices to those impacted by the Maui wildfires.
The program connects Hawaiian cultural practitioners specializing in lomilomi (traditional massage) and ho‘oponopono (conflict resolution) with those in the community affected by the Maui fires. As a native Hawaiian who has spent my career focused on healthcare innovations and health equity, I was very pleased to help secure partial funding of this program with a $25,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare.
As a result, two traditional Pā or schools of learning (Pā Iwi Ola and Pā Ho‘oponopono) have joined together for the program as Pā Laukanaka. The Hawaiian word Laukanaka means many people - in this instance, many people coming together to serve Maui residents.
Over the past six months, Hawaiian healing sessions have been provided for the community monthly to help with the recovery process by fostering a space for healing, respite and aloha. Pā Laukanaka deploys 10 practitioners each month in the community to assist those impacted by the wildfires. To date, 557 Hawaiian healing sessions were provided to the Lahaina community, including 490 lomilomi sessions and 67 kūkākūkā sessions.
The community response has been positive, and many families and individuals frequently and regularly use these services. Online appointments have significantly increased and now account for 60 percent of current appointments, while 40 percent were walk-ins. In order to assure a continuum of support for Maui as the community continues to heal, Pā Laukanaka has committed to providing these support services for one year on a regular basis.
In addition to this latest effort to support the Maui Community, United Health Foundation previously announced a $500,000 donation directed to Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and Maui Food Bank immediately following the wildfires, and UnitedHealth Group employees worldwide were encouraged to participate in the “United for Giving” program, which matches employee contributions, dollar for dollar. The United for Giving program has contributed $145,000 to causes focused on wildfire relief. Support was directed to the American Red Cross, Hawaii Community Foundation, Maui Food Bank, Maui Humane Society, and the Maui United Way.
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Hawaiʻi is committed to helping people live healthier lives and helping the health system work better for everyone. Supporting Pā Laukanaka to bring culturally relevant forms of healing to communities impacted by wildfires is just one way we are working to live our mission for the people of Hawaiʻi.
