Kokua Mau

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 care 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 in 2025. 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 2025?

April 2025

Webinar Series – recordings available

In collaboration with Hui Pohala and Med-QUEST, Kōkua Mau offered a series of 4 Webinars to explain the Med-QUEST Community Palliative Care Benefit Implementation to providers as well as a webinar for the public. Visit our Webinar page for recordings of the 4 webinars (since 4/26/25) and details.

February 2025

E ola mau ka olelo Hawaii. Long live the Hawaiian language. In celebration of Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian language month, Kōkua Mau is pleased to announce our newest translations: Olelo Hawaii-Niihau.

January 2025

Stay tuned for the CMS Approved Hawai’i MedQuest Palliative Care Program – the first state in the USA. The implementation of the benefit will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months. More on our dedicated webpage.

The memo with details on the implementation of the benefit is now available in 2025. Contact us for details. Access the PDF of the memo below.

A divider line with a ti leaf

December 2024:

The memo with details on the implementation of the benefit is available since December 31, 2024. Memo No. QI-2430, FFS 24-12, CCS-2410 Community Palliative Care Benefit Implementation. Click here for the PDF on the MedQUEST Division website.

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 on our dedicated webpage.

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. 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.  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.

Events from 2023, 2022, 2021 & 2020 in the archive

Ongoing Current Events:

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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