Improving children’s health –  for a better future

Photograph by Phil Spalding

Each year, the Center provides about 1,000 medical visits to keiki whose parents are uninsured, underinsured, or can’t handle the financial burden of costly medical care for their children. Immunizations, physical exams, sports physicals, and general medical care are provided at sliding scale fees to families who meet income qualifications. While visiting our clinics or outreach service sites, eligible children are enrolled into QUEST, the State’s program that provides health coverage for lower income Hawaii residents.

Immunizations are crucial to preventing diseases such as measles, mumps, polio, chicken pox, and hepatitis B, which can have serious long-term effects on a child’s health and well-being. Also, children whose medical requirements aren’t up to date risk missing days or weeks of school.

Of the more than 300,000 children who live in Hawaii, approximately 40,000 are poor, and more than 16,000 of Hawaii’s children and youth are uninsured.

Compared to insured children, uninsured children are:

• 2 times more likely not to have a recent physician visit
• 4 times more likely to delay seeking care because parents are worried about payment
• 5 times more likely to use the emergency room as a regular source of care

Center Activities to Reach More Underserved Children

Annual Back to School Campaign – Each summer, individual volunteers and service clubs spread out across Oahu to deliver charity canisters to participating retail locations to raise funds for children’s medical care.

Keiki Health Fairs – Periodically, Waikiki Health Center holds children’s health fairs at Queen Liliuokalani Church in Haleiwa, the Key Project site in Kaneohe, and other sites.  These fairs provide immunizations and physicals for kids--and fun for the whole family!