Tag: hawaii state,oahu,honolulu,senator district 12,sharon moriwaki

  • Science Fair winners, Reopening, Contact Tracing, Food distribution, Library

    Science Fair winners, Reopening, Contact Tracing, Food distribution, Library

    CONGRATULATIONS RISING SCIENTISTS!!!
    The Hawaii Academy of Science announced the 2020 Grand Award Winners of the Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair (HSSEF). From the 6,000 participants across the state’s 100 public and private school fairs, the following juniors and seniors in our district made us proud!  We congratulate Lian Fouse, Grade 9, McKinley High School, who placed 1st as HSSEF’s Grand Award Winner in the Senior Division.  She is also a ISEF State Delegation Finalist. Others we celebrate are:  Johnathan Le, McKinley, 2d Place, Biomedical & Health Sciences-Senior Division; Michael Hui, Kaimuki High School, 2d Place, Biomedical Engineering-Junior Division; Kaitlyn Nagata, Washington Middle School, 2d Place, Embedded Systems-Junior Division; Tyger Yong, McKinley, 1st Place, Engineering Mechanics-Senior Division; Katherine Liu, McKinley, 3d Place, Material Sciences-Senior Division; Minsub Song, McKinley, 3d Place, Robotics & Intelligent Machines-Senior Division; Lian Fouse, McKinley, Systems Software- Senior Division; Ayre Takamoto, 2d Place, and Jack Dias, 3d Place, Kaimuki Middle School.

    BEYOND RECOVERY: STRATEGY FOR REOPENING HAWAII
    The senate special COVID committee was briefed by Alexandra Slous, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency’s (HIEMA) State Disaster Recovery Coordinator, on the updated (as of May18 2020) roadmap for gauging our recovery.  I shared with you last week, but we got clarification today that we are in the “Act With Care”/Minor Disruption Phase, which will see more medium- and high-risk businesses and operations reopening. We will probably be in this phase for a couple more weeks but we were assured that the Governor, Mayors, HIEMA and the Attorney General are meeting often to explore how the state can reopen our borders carefully and safely to ensure the public’s health.  When asked about the specific guidance for various restaurants, adult care centers and facilities and other businesses, AG Connors said the State’s Recovery Navigator website will post these guidelines. You can check if it does at recoverynavigator.hawaii.gov.

    CONTACT TRACING
    The committee also heard from DOH Director Bruce Anderson and State Epidemiologist Sarah Park and Aimee Malia Grace, UH Director of Health Science Policy.  Focus was on one of the core covid control measures–contact tracing. DOH is gearing up their program.  From a staff of 25 or so contact tracers the Department of Health is partnering with the UH to train a cadre of contact tracers to be ready if a surge occurs in the numbers. The UH is now recruiting for three training tracks: 1) 1-1/2 day professional clinical contact tracing for those with clinical backgrounds; 2) 6-week community contact tracing; and 3) 1 semester community health worker training.  All training is free and conducted online. If you are interested, apply now at go.hawaii.edu/AQX

    TAKE OUT FOOD DISTRIBUTION CONTINUES: Food Saturdays
    Free food will continue to be distributed at Kakaako’s Na Kupuna Makamae Center from noon to 2:30 p.m. at 653 Ala Moana Blvd. (corner of Keawe Street and Ala Moana Boulevard (old pump station)).  Instead of Fridays, distribution will now be on Saturdays, beginning June 6, and continuing for the rest of the month.  It’s a walk-in pickup only. It is NOT a drive-thru. Mahalo to the Center, Aloha Harvest & other partners for the food boxes. If you have questions, please call (808) 773-7047 or email <a href=”mailto:carmenlee@pacificgatewaycenter.org?subject=carmenlee@pacificgatewaycenter.org” target=”_blank” style=”mso-line-height-rule: exactly;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #007C89;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;”>carmenlee@pacificgatewaycenter.org

    TAKE OUT FOOD “FOR THE MIND”: Library Take Out
    Some of you have asked about the libraries not being available when books would be comforting during this stay at home time. “Library Take Out” is available but unfortunately not from the libraries close to us. McCully and the Main Branch are closed. See     this link on how to access the take out.

    Take care and stay healthy!

  • Take our COVID survey, Interisland quarantine to end, Kupuna resources

    Take our COVID survey, Interisland quarantine to end, Kupuna resources

    Aloha Neighbor,

    Today is June 1. Can you believe COVID-19 arrived here almost 3 months ago?  It hit our aloha spirit and hugging, loving community hard, with the “stay at home” emergency orders, including the 14-day quarantine, virtually stopping all visitors to our state. Our community is one of the Nation’s hardest hit, with so many of our residents and businesses dependent on visitors.   Now that we’ve seen we can shelter in place and practice social distancing and masking up, we know we can reopen safely! We not only flattened the curve we smashed it.

    HELP US LEARN FROM OUR SHELTERING AS WE REOPEN
    So, let’s think about what we’ve learned as a community during our “respite” at home and what’s important as we move into recovery.  We have a few questions to help our journey. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO TAKE OUR COVID SURVEY.  If you haven’t had a chance to take our original (pre-crisis) survey, please click here to give us your valuable input.

    MORE REOPENING SOON:  Lifting the Interisland Travel Quarantine
    Signs of recovery are happening.  The Governor announced today the 14-day interisland travel quarantine will be lifted on June 16.  But, of course, to prevent any resurgence, there will be close monitoring and safeguards like thermal screening, assessing passenger health status and travel history/residence information.  This is a good test of safe travels; and, if successful in keeping our incidence at the current level, we may reopen sooner.

    UPDATED SERVICES CARING FOR KUPUNA
    With Governor Ige’s “safer-at-home” order continuing through June 30, and the loosening of restrictions on more businesses and activities, we are pleased that our vulnerable elders are not being forgotten. Services continue to support them and to ease their discomfort and their caregivers. Here are some updated resources:

     

    • Adopt A Kupuna! Help from the millennial’s generation. Chat on the phone. Buy groceries, food, prescriptions. Learn from the wise!  Call 800-400-4506. Or register to volunteer at www.ourkupuna.com

     

    • General Kupuna Assistance. GENERAL KUPUNA ASSISTANCE  If you have questions on getting help for kupuna you can call Senior Hotline: 808-768-7700; https://www.hawaiiadrc.org/

     

    • Donate to the Helpers:  If you’ve been helped or want to donate cash or your talents, contact: Kupuna Food Security Coalition– Jackie Boland, Volunteer Coordinator 808-545-6003; Email: kupunafood@gmail.com; or Hawaii Foodbank– http://www.hawaiifoodbank.org/csfp

    HCDA KAKAAKO BOARD MEETING WEDNESDAY
    HCDA Kakaako Board will meet virtually (via videoconference and telephone conference) this Wednesday, June 3 at 10 am.  All written public testimony will be accepted up to 2pm the day before the meeting (tomorrow) at:     www.dbedt.hawaii.gov/hcda or dbedt.hcda.contact@hawaii.gov.  See agenda here with links to view the meeting.

    SENATE COVID COMMITTEE HEARING
    The committee will meet tomorrow (6/2) at 12:45 pm.  We will be be updated on the state’s recovery plan by  Alexandra Slous, State Disaster Recovery Coordinator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HiEMA); and a full coverage of contact tracing technologies, beginning with an update on DOH’s plan, from DOH Director Director Bruce Anderson; followed by Dean Mary Boland, UH Nursing & Dental Hygiene; President Lynn Babington, Chaminade University; President John Gotunda, Hawaii Pacific University; and technology companies Aloha Trace (Brandon Kurisu), Everyline Hawaii (Robert Kurisu) and SafePaths (Michael Kamida). Live viewing will be available on Olelo channel 49 and on olelo.org.

    We will meet again on Thursday (6/4), at 1 pm on the state’s plan for recovery from the Department of Business & Economic Development (on the potential sector growth from the State’s Economist and on job creation from eight programs in the department –Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, Hawaii State Energy Office, Business Development & Support Division, Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, Foreign Trade Zone Division, Creative Industries Division and the Hawaii Tourism Authority.  Live viewing information on Olelo will be posted here shortly before the meeting. 

    Take care and stay healthy!