Homeless get help fighting diseases
By Nalea J. Ko
nko@starbulletin.com
Two hundred homeless people at the River of Life Mission received safety kits yesterday meant to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and perhaps save lives.
Lend a hand
To make a contribution to provide kits to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases among the homeless and the poor, visit hepatitis.idlinks.com and click on the Save-a-Life Safety Kit link.
But more funds are needed to help other at-risk people statewide, health officials said.
"This fund, while very needed for Oahu, is limited to Oahu only, and so we need to raise money to provide kits to the neighbor islands," said Ken Akinaka, executive director of the Hepatitis Support Network of Hawaii.
State Rep. John Mizuno was one of a handful of people passing out plastic storage bags filled with nail clippers, razors, plastic bandages and other items to those waiting to get a hot meal at 101 N. Pauahi St.
"It's my understanding that our homeless population -- their rate of hepatitis B, C, HIV and other infectious disease is two to three times higher than the general population," said Mizuno as he presented an award to Akinaka. "So it's very important that we try to address this issue now within the homeless community, and it will also provide protection as they interact with the general population."
from "Vernon Balmer Jr."
to fkaufman@chla.usc.edu
date Feb 9, 2008 4:45 PM
subject Being Inclusive In Our Outlook
I have resided in Honolulu, Hawaii for 6 years now. I needed to sustain myself at the local soup kitchen due to vicsissitudes beyond my control. I was surprised to find a breakfast menu that consisted of what appears to be Starbucks fare and the local donut shop. I was surprised after eating there for some time and realizing this is the breakfast menu 95 percent of the time. Seems to me, since the homeless population and the needy population keeps growing, we should be more concerned about what we all eat. Needless to mention, we all have children. There is diabetes here as there is over the world. It's easy to see here the effects of "colonization" and oppression. Some compare Hawaii to a 3rd world country. How do we make all people our concern, as far as diet, even the people some would forget about, push to the periphery, or not care about at all?
