Draft EA Published for Kīpuka o ke Ola Clinic Relocation

Posted on Nov 9, 2022 in Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Media Releases, Slider

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 9, 2022

Draft EA Published for Kīpuka o ke Ola Clinic Relocation

(Waimea, Hawaiʻi) – The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and the Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders’ Association (WHHA) have published a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the relocation of the Kīpuka o ke Ola Clinic.

The Department and WHHA presented the draft EA to the Hawaiian Homes at its October 2022 regular meeting and published the report in The Environmental Notice periodical on November 8, 2022.

WHHA and its subsidiary organization, the Waimea Nui Community Development Corporation (WNCDC), have been actively conceptualizing a community development project for over 40 years to address the cultural, economic, and social needs of the Waimea area and Waimea Homestead families.

Following a 2015 Final Environmental Assessment with a Finding of No Significant Impact, the Hawaiian Homes Commission approved a 65-year General Lease to WNCDC for 161 acres. Their plan included the development of a community agriculture complex and park, a green waste biodigester, a post-harvest facility, a commercial kitchen, and other facilities.

WHHA developed the Waimea Nui Regional Community Development Initiative (WNR-CDI) based on ideas and concepts articulated by the greater homestead community. The initiative incorporates the long-term visions of WHHA as outlined in the DHHL’s 2012 Waimea Regional Plan.

The proposal to relocate the existing Kīpuka o ke Ola Clinic to a two-acre site within the 161 acres already leased by WNCDC will allow the clinic to expand its treatment rooms to provide primary care, psychiatry, psychology, women’s health, la‘au lapa‘au, lomilomi, and acupuncture services. In addition, the clinic would expand its Ulu Laukahi Program, which addresses chronic care disease management.

Kīpuka o ke Ola was established in response to a community needs assessment conducted by WHHA, which called for a health clinic that could specifically address the health disparities endured by Native Hawaiians in North Hawai‘i.

A public comment period on the draft EA will conclude on December 8, 2022.

To learn more about the Kīpuka o ke Ola Clinic relocation project and view the draft EA, visit dhhl.hawaii.gov/po/hawaii-island/.

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About the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands:
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands carries out Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921, with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes the management of over 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.

About Kīpuka o ke Ola:
Kīpuka o ke Ola (KOKO) is a Native Hawaiian Health Clinic established to address Native Hawaiian health disparities in North Hawaiʻi. KOKO provides cultural, spiritual, medical, and psychological services to all residents of North Hawaiʻi with a special emphasis for the Kānaka Maoli. KOKO provides culturally-informed direct services, actively collaborates with hawaiian agencies and associations in order to meet their membersʻ needs, and is led by the community it serves.

Media Contact:
Cedric Duarte
Information and Community Relations Officer
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
(808) 620-9591
[email protected]