ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS
A RESOLUTION
No. 2018 – 31
URGING THE INCLUSION OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN CULTURAL INTERVENTION TREATMENT PROGRAMS, WELLNESS PLANS, AND HOLISTIC LIVING SYSTEMS OF CARE IN THE STATE OF HAWAI‘I’S RESPONSE TO THE RISE OF MISUSE AND ABUSE OF OPIOID OR ILLICIT SUBSTANCES IN HAWAI‘I NEI
WHEREAS, Hawai‘i and United States are facing a serious opioid crisis that is “claiming the lives of thousands of people, plunging families into tragedy, and taking a devastating toll on society,” according to Governor David Ige, in a 2017 report entitled, “The Hawai‘i Opioid Initiative, A Statewide Response”; and
WHEREAS, the warning signs of public health trends on the continent, which are normally delayed in their arrival to the islands, are beginning to appear in Hawai‘i Nei; and
WHEREAS, fatalities from drug poisoning have outpaced auto accidents in Hawai‘i; and
WHEREAS; substance misuse and substance use disorders cost the U.S. more than $442 billion annually in crime, health care and lost productivity; and
WHEREAS, studies show that risk factors, such as poverty, personal trauma, and cultural trauma, tend to be associated with increased rates of substance abuse; and
WHEREAS, according to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), “Perception of health and illness are shaped by cultural factors such as methods of communication, expression of symptoms, coping styles, and willingness to seek treatment”; and
WHEREAS, OHA further observes that, in western cultures, illness is conceived as a pathological imbalance in the body, whereas Native Hawaiians view ma‘i (illness) as a disruption in lōkahi, and Native Hawaiians reference illness categories such as ma‘i i kino (body sickness), ma‘i i waho (sickness from outside influences), or ma‘i ma loko (sickness from within caused by quarrels in the family); and
WHEREAS, cultural intervention and holistic health, “ola” meaning “life,” and wellness plans in treatment programs are known to increase prevention of opioid and other drug addictions misuse and abuse; and
WHEREAS, recent management system queries of the State of Hawai‘i’s Department of Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD) reveal that Native Hawaiians comprise at least 40% of the Statewide population admitted to addiction treatment programs, representing more than double the Native Hawaiian community’s percentage of the total population; and
WHEREAS, Section 226-20, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, notes that planning for the State’s socio-cultural advancement with regard to health shall be directed towards achievement of, among other things, prioritizing programs, services, interventions, and activities that address identified social determinants of health to improve Native Hawaiian health and well-being consistent with the United States Congress’ declaration of policy as codified in title 42 United States Code section 11702, and to reduce health disparities of disproportionately affected demographics, including native Hawaiians, other Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos.”; and
WHEREAS, ADAD has received national and international recognition in integrating
holistic treatment systems, including those which support Native Hawaiian cultural programs, kūpuna (elders), and practitioners; and
WHEREAS, despite recognition on the global front, the State of Hawai‘i’s Opioid Initiative does not identify cultural treatment programs and/or traditional holistic living systems, including, kauhale, as essential in preventing the spread of the opioid crisis in the Hawaiian community and the community, as a whole; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawai‘i’s Opioid Initiative neither counts among its membership the primary State Agencies charged with bettering the conditions of the Native Hawaiian people, nor does it include a diverse and robust membership of Native Hawaiian programs, kūpuna (elders), practitioners, families or patients, with experience in providing or receiving cultural intervention treatments; and
WHEREAS, the Hawai‘i State Opioid Action Plan, designed to be a “Living Document” does not include cultural treatment programs as a primary focus; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawai‘i’s Opioid Initiative concludes that, “Now is the time to capitalize on all opportunities to develop a more comprehensive system of care that will effectively address the opioid crisis as well as the disease of addiction” in Hawai‘i.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at its 59th Annual Convention in Kalapaki, Kauaʻi, in the malama of Welehu and the rising of ʻOlepau, this 17th day of November 2018, urging the inclusion of Native Hawaiian cultural intervention treatment programs, wellness plans, and holistic living systems of care in the State of Hawaii’s response to the rise of misuse and abuse of opioid or illicit substances in Hawai‘i nei; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that cultural and wellness organizations and individuals tasked with improving the well-being of Native Hawaiians be seated proportionately on the State of Hawaii’s Opioid Initiative and/or on an appropriate focus group within the initiative, to be spearheaded by ADAD; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that sufficient funds be appropriated by the Hawai‘i State Legislature and released by the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i to comply with Section 226-20, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to Papa Ola Lōkahi, State of Hawai‘i Department of Health and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, as well as the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Chair of the State Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the State House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources & Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all County Mayors.
The undersigned hereby certifies that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted in the malama of Welehu and the rising of ‘Olepau on the 17th day of November 2018, at the 59th Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs in Kalapaki, Kaua‘i.
Annelle C. Amaral, President
