Can I socialize safely with friends?
Addressing the grey area of socializing with family and friends who aren’t members of your household. Of the many ways COVID-19 has changed life for Hawaii residents, physical distancing–in the land of aloha hugs and potlucks–is among the toughest to follow. It’s only natural that, as fatigue sets in and guidelines extend into the indeterminate future, even well-intentioned people are looking for loopholes that allow them to reunite with loved ones. But is there any safe way to see family or friends while following physical-distancing guidelines? There is always risk. The U.S. Centers for Disease [...]
Contact tracers: Behind-the-scenes heroes of the pandemic
Contact tracing was new to many of us in the beginning stages of the pandemic. Now, contact tracing has become a part of our everyday vocabulary. The Hawaii Department of Health’s team of contact tracers helps keep the spread of COVID-19 under control. The health department currently has 51 contact tracers who are actively working on investigations, identifying contacts to cases, and following up and monitoring those contacts. If necessary, the Department of Health can rapidly ramp up and expand its contact tracing team. It has an additional 128 people in the Disease Outbreak Control Division and Public Health Nursing [...]
Doing whatever it takes to support youth and families
Joe Soong is a Multisystem Therapy (MST) therapist with Child and Family Service in Kailua-Kona. The pandemic may have put some activities on hold, but it has not stopped love and caring for families. At a time when there is more social distancing and families separated from each other, there are bright, uplifting stories of families coming together because of hard-working professionals in communities across our state. Thanks to dedicated therapists like Joe Soong, a Multisystem Therapy (MST) therapist with Child & Family Service in Kailua-Kona, support for juvenile offenders and families has continued without interruption during the [...]
Social Bubble FAQs: Bubble up but don’t bubble over
There is a safe way to expand your social circle without compromising your health. Social bubbles, also known as a pods or “quaranteams” can help you socialize safely after months of physical distancing. Joining with another household or just one or two individuals allows families to take turns caring for each other’s children, provides children more opportunities to play and socialize with others, and will help ease loneliness and provide improved social support for those who have felt isolated. 1. What is a social bubble? You probably have a social bubble and may not realize it. It could be [...]
The Scoop on Sentinel Surveillance Testing
As Hawai‘i cautiously reopens its economy, the Hawai‘i Department of Health’s Disease Outbreak Control Division (DOCD) is keeping an eye on detecting flu and COVID-19 in the community through its Sentinel Surveillance Program. The program conducts random testing to gain a pulse on respiratory illness in the state by partnering with outpatient healthcare providers and private laboratories. Influenza epidemiologist Han Ha Youn Influenza Epidemiologist Han Ha Youn gave us the inside scoop on sentinel surveillance testing. What is sentinel surveillance and how does it work? Han Ha: In partnership with the Department of Health, selected physicians in outpatient settings and health care centers throughout the state are collecting [...]
Stepping Up for Youth Mental Health
How one Hawaii couple has taken care of its family’s mental health during the COVID-19 crisis. Daneen Sandry A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll revealed that nearly half of all Americans believe the coronavirus crisis is causing harm to their mental health. Here in Hawaii, mental health providers across the islands have been working especially hard throughout the pandemic to protect the well-being of their clients and communities. The past three months of living with COVID-19 have inspired some Hawaii residents to step up for mental-health awareness. Daneen Sandry and her husband Rick are two of these unsung [...]
Signers of the Times
The critical role of sign-language interpreters, especially during public health emergencies. You’ve seen them at every media briefing given by the governor, the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) and other state officials throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Standing a minimum six-feet distance from presenters and in front of cameras to speak directly to the public, they listen carefully to everything the speakers say and immediately communicate the same vital information in American Sign Language to viewers who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing. They all deserve our gratitude and honored place on this pandemic’s list of unsung heroes. We’re, of course, praising the [...]
Q&A: Patty Sakal, Sign-Language Interpreter, Hawaii Interpreting Services
Patty Sakal is a familiar face to folks who tune in to the near-daily COVID-19 media briefings led by Gov. David Ige and City and County of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. Indeed, with more than 35 years of experience as an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, it’s likely you’ve seen Patty hard at work during countless televised or live-streamed state and county briefings quietly, yet expressively, interpreting the words of officials into ASL for Hawaii residents who are Deaf, hard-of-hearing or Deaf and Blind. We spoke with Patty to learn about the responsibility she feels interpreting important real-time information on [...]
Keiki Mental Health Awareness is Everyone’s Kuleana
No matter your age – from keiki to kupuna and everyone in between – being aware and taking care of your mental health matters. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) is partnering with the national Children’s Mental Health Awareness Planning Group to put together several activities aimed at raising awareness of the need for comprehensive, coordinated mental health services among keiki, young adults and their ohana. Activities follow the theme “Bringing Children’s Mental Health into Focus – Perfect Vision in 20/20.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve been modified to promote physical [...]
Q&A on COVID-19 Testing: Edward Desmond, Hawaii State Laboratories Division Administrator
Edward Desmond, Ph.D., lead administrator of the Hawaii State Laboratories Division, says that Hawaii’s public health and private sector laboratories have stepped up to establish and expand their capacities for testing. His lab conducts testing for the State’s environmental and public health programs. A microbiologist and 40-year veteran of managing public health and hospital laboratories, Dr. Desmond manages a 100-strong team, now largely dedicated to COVID-19-related work in Hawaii. The questions he is most often asked revolve around coronavirus testing, including “Who should get tested?” and “Why isn’t everyone tested?” Desmond sat down with us to answer a few of [...]