Welcome to Kōkua Mau
Kōkua Mau is a Movement to Improve Care for those with serious illness and their loved ones. We are Hawaii’s trusted resource for accurate information on Advance Care Planning (ACP) including Advance Directives and POLST, palliative care, which provides relief from the symptoms and stress of illness, and hospice care which provides the best care possible at the end of life. (Kōkua Mau means ‘Continuous Care‘ in Hawaiian.)
Collaborating since 1999: Kōkua Mau – A Movement to Improve Care. As a network of organizations and individuals we bring to the forefront meaningful, thoughtful and sensitive conversations on improving care and support for those with serious illness. We are viewed as a thought leader working to ensure that every individual has the right to quality care throughout their lives, including at the end of life. We advocate for quality palliative and hospice care within the medical and legislative communities in Hawai‘i.
Our goal is to create a community in which advance care planning conversations are the norm. We are fostering a movement to change social norms in Hawai‘i regarding conversations and decisions around serious illness and end-of-life care, and to provide all individuals and communities with greater choice and control regarding their quality of life. We do not focus on the end of life, but rather the quality of life.
We hope that you will find useful Hawai‘i-focused information and resources for yourself, your loved ones and those you care for.
Advance care planning (ACP) can take place years before an illness or crisis occurs and is the first part of the continuum of planning for one’s legacy wishes. To make this possible Advance Directives and POLST are key documents and our Let’s Talk Story Program is available for public and professional education.
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Hospice is specialized care which focuses on the needs of the person and loved ones in the last weeks and months of life and is seen as best care possible for those at the end of life.
In our Tool Kit you find all Kōkua Mau materials (as PDF files) in one place.
Kōkua Mau’s vision is a community where: the people of Hawai‘i are treated with dignity, compassion and love throughout their lives.
To make that vision a reality, Kōkua Mau’s mission is: to weave a lei of caregiving and support so that the people of Hawai‘i facing serious illness can live in the place of their choice, with relief of pain and suffering and according to their values, beliefs and traditions.
Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastation on Maui. The pictures and stories are truly heartbreaking and we are sending our aloha and prayers to our Maui ʻOhana.
The tragedy on Maui still unfolds. We are all looking for ways to support and help our friends and colleagues on the ground for the long haul. More
What’s New in 2024?
Update December 2024:
The memo with details on the implementation of the benefit will be made available by end of December 2024.
May 2024: CMS Approves Hawai’i MedQuest Palliative Care Program – First State in the USA
On May 7, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a new State Plan Amendment (SPA) in Hawai’i to cover community-based palliative care services making Hawaiʻi the first state in the nation to do so!! More
November 2024
The Fine Art and Science of Pain and Palliative Care 2024
This Queen’s Medical Center one-day conference was designed to enhance practitioners knowledge and competence in pain management and palliative care to reduce patients’ acute and chronic symptom distress and enhance overall well-being.
October 2024
Samoan Translation of key documents
Samoan translations of key Kōkau Mau documents make it a dozen: We now feature 12 multilingual translations of the six key documents interpreters, translators and loved ones can use to facilitate communication.
August 2024
Kōkua Mau wins prestigious national Trailblazer award
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and Council of States has awarded Kōkua Mau with the prestigious Trailblazer Award, recognizing our extraordinary efforts in establishing palliative care initiatives to improve care for those with serious illness in Hawaiʻi.
“Kōkua Mau was instrumental in securing CMS approval of a new Palliative Care Service Benefit for their Medicaid population, the first in the United States,” said Logan M. Hoover, Vice President of Policy and Government Relations, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
“This achievement is the result of years of work and collaboration with their partners to improve care for those with serious illness. Kōkua Mau serves as an example that all states can look to when looking for pathways to expand access to palliative care.” More
June 2024
Governor Josh Green signed the bill Act 98 on June 27, 2024!
After the signature Act 98 is effective immediately. No changes to POLST forms is needed. Please update your operating procedures. Thank you to everybody who submitted testimony for SB2529 SD1. More
Dr. Jared Rubenstein, a pediatric palliative care doctor and medical educator, was our guest speaker at the Kōkua Mau meeting in June. Dr. Rubenstein is a wonderfully engaging speaker who is using innovative approaches to helping people communicate about challenging topics in healthcare. He is passionate about teaching all healthcare workers how to incorporate palliative care into their work, and increasing public education about palliative care. He was also recently named by AAHPM as an Emerging Leader in Hospice and Palliative Care. View the recording.
April 25, 2024 Kōkua Mau Meeting
How is Hawaii doing in Serious Illness Care? How do we compare with other states?
Please watch the video of a presentation on the ACT Index by Torrie Fields, presenting the latest data for Hawaiʻi, allowing us to track our progress and compare with other states. More
March 2024
Noelani Ahia from Maui with the topic Grieving Lahaina: Past and Present. The intimate connection between ‘āina and Kānaka and the space needed to heal. Watch the video.
Highlights from 2023
Two new videos about our work:
September 2023 at our Kōkua Mau meeting we will heard updates from Hospice Maui from Melanie Dwyer and about the amazing work of the Kupuna Collective. Details
July 2023: Chuukese Translations of Key Documents
Adding Chuukese as the 11th language is a milestone for us. Chuukese was the most requested language over the years and we are proud to have worked with an excellent translator. We are grateful to secure a grant that made it possible.
The Updated and Improved POLST for Hawai’i
The new POLST form is on the website as of June 29, 2023.
If you have the pre-May 2023 Hawaiʻi POLST version, it remains valid and does not expire.
The Hawaiʻi POLST Task Force made improvements to our Hawaiʻi POLST Form, with input from local key informants, reviewing the national POLST form and best practice in other states. We encourage everyone to use the updated version of POLST. (Change approved by the DOH May 2023.) More: our POLST Information page.
Watch the 15-minute video: Improved Hawaii POLST Form 2023 step-by-step essentials with Dr. Fischberg
To read more about POLST visit our website at: kokuamau.org/polst. If you would like a short article for an in-house newsletter to highlight the changes and the importance of POLST, please let us know.
April 2023: Kōkua Mau meeting presentations by the Bereavement Network of Hawaii. more
March 2023: Community Health Workers
CHW are a valuable resource in our communities, connecting people with resources and being a bridge to health care and providers. Learn more about CHW and the valuable work they do and help and strategize about ways CHW can help those with serious illness. Recordings available
In Memoriam: Aloha Greg LaGoy
We were deeply saddened to learn that Greg LaGoy, CEO of Hospice Maui, Inc., passed away January 4, 2022. To honor the life and legacy of Dr. Gregory LaGoy, Hospice Maui has established the Greg LaGoy Memorial Fund.
Our COVID-19 Resources Page provided up-to-date information, webinars, guidelines and materials helpful for our members and supporters.
Events from 2022, 2021 & 2020 in the archive
Ongoing Current Events:
- Kōkua Mau Monthly Meetings – open to all on zoom (last Thur. of the month)
- Palliative Pupus – open to all on zoom (3rd Wed. every second month)
- Hospice and Home Health Webinar Series
- Bereavement Network of Hawaii: latest Bereavement Support List
- eNewsletter Online Archive
- A Culturally Relevant Palliative Care Curriculum for US Affiliated Pacific Islands
Register here to receive free Kōkua Mau e-Newsletters with local and national updates and events.
Kōkua Mau’s vision is a community where: the people of Hawai‘i are treated with dignity, compassion and love throughout their lives.
To make that vision a reality, Kōkua Mau’s mission is: to weave a lei of caregiving and support so that the people of Hawai‘i facing serious illness can live in the place of their choice, with relief of pain and suffering and according to their values, beliefs and traditions.
Kōkua Mau depends on donations and annual membership fees to carry on with our work. Please help us improve quality of life for people living with serious illness or at the end of life here in Hawaii. This is a community wide effort that needs everyone’s support.
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