Kokua Mau

Events from 2020

Please visit our latest addition: Making Decisions Regarding Mortuaries in Hawaii

Making decisions involving mortuaries is never an easy task. This list of current costs – from mortuaries on all islands in Hawai‘i – for cremation, burial, funeral services, caskets and cremation urns, can help to simplify the decision process.

Two reports:

Kokua Mau (Virtual) Monthly Meeting Sept 2020 – Special TFT Presentation

Are you looking for innovative ways to address and deal with stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic? At our virtual Kōkua Mau Meeting, joins us for hands-on (zoom) presentation about TFT or Thought Field Therapy with Dr. Caroline Sakai. More details or watch the recording of the meeting.

Funerals & Memorials are very different these days. What are new ways to grieve, mourn, comfort and honor?

How are we supporting people in our community whose loved ones have died but are not able to go to funerals or memorials in a usual way because of the pandemic? In Hawai‘i, about 1,000 people die a month so nearly 6,000 people have died since gathering restrictions began impacting 10s of 1000s of people have not been able to grieve, mourn and comfort each other.

Watch our (Virtual) Kōkua Mau Monthly Meeting from August 27, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/embed/PjSRZPZt68s?feature=oembed

Learn about what is happening in our community and strategize about solutions. Click on the time code below to jump directly to a specific presentation on our YouTube channel.

  1. 0:03 Context and introductions
    by Jeannette Koijane, Executive Director, Kōkua Mau
  2. 03:15 Military rituals in the time of COVID by Patricia W. Nishimoto, DNS, FAAN, Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Tripler Army Medical Center
  3. 12:01 What resources are available? Support groups and extra support in the time of COVID? by Valerie Payton MA, LCSW, Bereavement Social Worker, Home Hospice, St. Francis Community Health Services
  4. 35:39 What are mortuaries seeing in these times when no one can come together – by Pete Dilwith, Pete Dilwith, CFSP, CPC, CCO, VP of Operations, Mililani Memorial Park & Mortuary.
  5. 54:42 Clarence Liu, Retired chaplain (navian), local boy

‘Zoom Made Easy Page’ updated

Most of the time zoom works like a charm, but there are a million things that can go wrong (if you did not update to the latest version). Visit our Zoom Made Easy page, if you are looking for solutions. This page is updated frequently.

Palliative Care Summit 2020 recording

Our very successful Palliative Care Summit on April 25, 2020 brought key stakeholders together for an overview of the current state of palliative care in Hawai‘i, with focus on:

  • What is working?
  •  What are barriers?
  • What are the opportunities for expanding access?
  • Watch a recording of the entire summit on our YouTube channel.
  • Summit webpage for details and PDF files of the PowerPoint presentations.
  • A final report on the Summit can be downloaded here.  This includes the results of the focus groups, surveys, input from the conference and next steps. 

Our 121 participants represented a diverse array of stakeholders including health plans, health systems, hospices, higher education, state and county government, and non-profits (including AARP and American Cancer Society). Participants from all counties included doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, community advocates and administrators. See our

July 30th Mapping Palliative Care in the State of Hawai‘i

  • Where is palliative care available in Hawai‘i?
  • How many people are receiving palliative care and in what settings?
  • What are the gaps and opportunities for improving palliative care?

This is the first time that we have done a statewide mapping project or calculated how much palliative care is being provided where and what the gaps are. View the recording or visit our web page and read the full report.

Chelsea Hirano presented the results of her research over the last 6 months looking at in-patient, out-patient and community based settings. Chelsea is a graduate nursing student in community health at UH Nursing. This is the first time this type of research has been done in Hawai‘i.

What is happening with Advance Care Planning in the time of COVID-19?

National and local experts agree that advance care planning continues to be important to make sure that people’s wishes are known. Here from our local experts on how they are approaching these conversations and what opportunities and challenges they encounter. Join us for our monthly virtual meeting Thursday June 25. Watch the YouTube Video recording.

  • Michelle Cantillo, Advance Care Planning Coordinator at Hawai‘i Pacific Health
  • Amy Hamane, Volunteer at Community First, Hilo
  • Susan Michihara, Interim Manager, Ambulatory Social Work at Kaiser Permanente
  • Lori Protzman, Advance Care Planning Coordinator at Queen’s Medical Center
  • Hope Young, Advance Care Planning Coordinator at Kōkua Mau

April 30, 2020, NPR, Morning Edition: Coronavirus Disrupts Hard Decisions About End-Of-Life Treatment

The coronavirus means more people are dying alone in ICUs. Families are having to make abrupt decisions at a distance about terminal care. Palliative care specialists try to adapt. Listen to the 4 minute NPR program.

April 12, 2020: Kokua Line: Naming a health-care proxy more important than ever

Read the interview with Kōkua Mau’s own Dr. Daniel Fischberg and Jeannette Koijane in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Kokua Line, by Christine Donnely from April 12, 2020. All COVID-19 coverage has free access at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

April 2020: Let’s make Personal Protection Equipment for Hawaii

March 18, 2020: We created a COVID-19 Resources page. In a fast changing world, please visit this page frequently as we add resources.

April 2020: Let’s make Personal Protection Equipment for Hawaii

March 18, 2020: We created a COVID-19 Resources page. In a fast changing world, please visit this page frequently as we add resources.

As of 3/18 the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) has made its resources available for free to the public. Please check out their tailor made: CAPC COVID-19 Response Resources toolklit including crisis communication and symptom management protocols for all clinicians, and guidance to help palliative care teams address high levels of volume and stress during a crisis.

What’s in the Toolkit

  • Communication Tips
  • Symptom Management Protocols
  • Palliative Care Team Tools
  • Telehealth
  • Patient and Family Support Resources from the CDC
  • Medicare COVID-19 Waivers
  • Federal COVID-19 Guidance
  • Setting-Specific Guidance
  • Role of Palliative Care

Since March 2020 we switched our Palliative Pupus to a virtual zoom meeting due to concerns about the spread of the Corona virus that can cause COVID-19.

Since March 26, 2020 all Monthly Kōkua Mau Meetings are virtual via zoom. More

A photo of a traditional Hawaiian lei

– 2019 Highlights –

Nov 2, Dia De Los Muertos – Free Family Event

Thank you to all who to attended this interactive, fun family event. More and map

Legislative Briefing on Hospice

Kōkua Mau invited you to join us: on Sept. 11, 2019 at the Hawai‘i State Capitol. We had a unique opportunity to learn from and talk with two of the most knowledgeable experts in the country on Hospice regulation, compliance, policy, and advocacy. Find out more about the legislative briefing.

Nov. 11, 2019 – The Fine Art & Science of Pain and Palliative Care

Queen’s Medical Center excellent home grown conference.

Trainings in an all-islands collaboration with the Hawaii Catholic Conference

With our Let’s Talk Story Program we want to meet people where they work, play or pray. In collaboration with the Hawaii Catholic Conference we participated in 11 trainings on all islands about the importance of the conversation and Advance Health Care Directives as well as the benefits of hospice and palliative care. For a complete listing of dates and location, please visit our webpage.

July 17 & 18: We hosted “Overcoming the Challenges of Community-Based Palliative Care“, a live-streamed palliative care conference, brought with the generous support of Gary Simon, Chaminade University and Kōkua Mau.

July 2, 2019: Governor Ige signed the Support Palliative Care SB 804 at the Governor’s chambers!!

Governor Ige Signing the Support Palliative Care SB 804 in Hawaii
Signing the Support Palliative Care SB 804 in Hawaii

Great news and thank you to everyone who wrote supportive testimony. Many thanks to Senator Baker, Representative Belatti and Representative Mizuno for their support in shepherding the bill through. This bill is a collaboration with Kōkua Mau, the American Cancer Society – Cancer Action Network (ACS-CAN) and the Department of Health. More

Jan. 2, 2019: The Our Care, Our Choice Act (OCOCA) is a Hawaii law that permits terminally ill adult patients with the capacity to make medical decisions and who meet certain other conditions to be prescribed an aid-in-dying medication. The law went into effect on January 1, 2019. Hawaii is the seventh jurisdiction to enact such a law. Kōkua Mau created a webpage with an overview of the Our Care, Our Choice Act, including information for patients and families and Frequently Asked Questions for Providers. Kōkua Mau is a neutral source for information on the new law.

 Our Care Our Choice Act in Hawaii  

 OCOCA Information for Providers

OCOCA Information for Patients and Families   

DOH webpage: Patients, Family Members, and Care Support Resources

Listen to the webinars: The California Experience or Web-based training: End-of-Life Care Options in Hawai’i

2018 Highlights and Events

Useful documents

Everyone needs an Advance Health Care Directive – Not Everyone needs a POLST

⇒ Let’s Talk Story Program: Kōkua Mau wants to get our community talking about wishes for care at the end of life. Our new Let’s Talk Story Program will go out to community organizations, churches and temples with our free, 2-hour interactive sessions facilitated by Kōkua Mau’s trained experts. Option 2 is a free screening of ‘Being Mortal’.

⇒ Translations of key Kōkua Mau Advance Care Planning materials: The multilingual resources are intended as tools to help members of our community with limited English proficiency. As is common with such complicated issues, these documents do not replace a one-on-one conversation, sometimes with the help of an interpreter, to walk people through the decisions they have to make for themselves or their loved ones. Two ways to access the multilingual PDF files:

  • By Language: Click on the language link for all resources available in that language. We will add selected materials in the language (such as the Conversation Starter Guides) when we become aware of it.
  • By Document: Just click on the “multilingual” link for e.g. POLST and you find all the languages available for POLST on one webpage.

We want to thank all the volunteers who have dedicated countless hours reviewing documents and giving us feedback. It has been a herculean task but our community project is finally a reality thanks to all of you that helped us with your expertise.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ongoing Current Events:

Register here to receive free Kōkua Mau e-Newsletters with local and national updates and events.

Note: These links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Kōkua Mau of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation, organization or individual. Kōkua Mau bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.