Native Hawaiian AIDS Education and Healthcare: E Ola Mau and Papa Ola Lokahi

E Ola Mau means live on and the E Ola Mau program is named after a study that documented for the first time the abysmal state of Native Hawaiian health. The report findings confirmed what many people in Hawaii's healthcare industry knew for a long timethat Native Hawaiian health statistics are poor. Native Hawaiians are dying of heart disease, diabetes, cancers, and hypertension at a much higher rate than the average citizen of Hawaii, and at a much younger age. Infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS also affect Native Hawaiians disproportionately.

E Ola Mau completed an AIDS education program for the State Department of Health STD/AIDS Prevention Branch in 1993. This curriculum presents important information about AIDS. Past and current projects strive to meet the unique health, emotional and spiritual needs of Native Hawaiians. E Ola Mau conducts research, facilitates communication, and provides community service activities. E Ola Mau membership includes a wealth of information: Apo I Na Hoku newsletters, herbal monographs, research projects, and access to databases, publications, and workshops and conferences. E Ola Mau was instrumental in the passage of the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act, which led to the formation of Papa Ola Lokahi (POL). E Ola Mau now sits on the board of Papa Ola Lokahi. Papa Ola Lokahi (POL) was formed in 1988 to address the healthcare needs of the Native Hawaiian people. It provides an umbrella for Native Hawaiian health care planning activities in the state. Activities include healthcare planning, research and demonstration projects for diabetes and other chronic disease-management projects, and training and technical assistance for the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems. The ten agencies that comprise POL include the five Native Hawaiian Health Care Systes:

• Hoòla Lahui Hawaii, serving Kauai
• Ke Ola Mamo, serving Oahu
• Na Puùwai, serving Molokai and Lanaii
• Hui No Ke Ola Pono, serving Maui
• Hui Malama Ola Na Òiwi, serving Hawaii island