Universities must be leaders and strategic partners in fostering public health equity, advancing innovative healthcare research, and enhancing community health initiatives through collaborative, technology-driven, and culturally sensitive approaches. Collaboration among governments, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and local communities is essential to create effective public health initiatives and reduce health disparities in island contexts.
Empowering Island Communities through
Integrated and Culturally Competent Healthcare
Challenges
What are the challenges facing island nations and states in expanding access to health care, addressing public health disparities, and improving health outcomes?
Innovation Highlight:
University of Hawai’i Houseless Outreach and Medical Education
The University of Hawai’i Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine established the Houseless Outreach and Medical Education (H.O.M.E.) Project in 2005 in response to Hawai‘i’s growing houselessness crisis, which has the highest per capita rate in the United States. The project began as a single tent clinic under Dr. Jill Omori and, to date, it has provided over 16,000 patient visits and trained hundreds of future physicians in community-based care. For many of the participating students, H.O.M.E. represents their first direct patient encounters, and plays a vital role in sharpening clinical skills and deepening empathy.
However, an ongoing challenge faced by many community outreach programs persists: the H.O.M.E. Project depends largely on volunteer labor and grant funding to sustain operations, putting in jeopardy not just the program itself, but the community it serves as well.
16,000
patient visits over a decade through the Houseless Outreach and Medical Education program led by students, volunteers and faculty at The University of Hawai’i Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine
Opportunities
How can universities positively impact the health outcomes for their communities?