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

Aloha Neighbor,

The “silver lining” of the COVID19 pandemic: making us  take pause — to be more mindful of others; of the beauty of our skies, mountains and oceans as we walk the sidewalks and streets now with sparse activity; and as we breathe the clean air although through our masks. Faced with our own difficult struggles and even our mortality we must forge ahead and survive. Many of us have lost a lot; some others are on the verge. Government, business, non-profits and all of us will adjust and will rise again if we stay the course.

Stay healthy in body, mind and spirit. We will beat this virus. Below are a few golden nuggets of hope —  with phone and text numbers and links to contacts — if you are at your wit’s end. Below are tips on how to minimize stress for higher-risk individuals as well as to access your doctor in that social-distancing kind of way.

KEEP THAT HEAD COOL 
If the stresses are too much to bear and you feel your health waning e.g., appetite changes, difficulty concentrating, nightmares, headaches, body pain, skin rashes, anger, substance abuse, don’t go it alone. You can get help from folks who are only a phone call or text away:

• Crisis Line of Hawaii: Call 808-832-3100
• Adult Mental Health Division, Hawaii DOH: Call (808) 586-4686.
• Hawaiʻi Text Hotline: Text 741741
• SAMHA Mental Health helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

OTHER RESOURCES ON DE-STRESSING

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has some helpful hints on helping yourself and your loved ones, including your children and kupuna.

GET MEDICAL HELP FASTER THROUGH TELEHEALTH.
One of the COVID19 developments changing health care services is telemedicine. Doctors and other health professionals are learning that technology can help in serving their patients faster and without the hassle for patients having to fight the traffic and parking.  See below the health services available to you from your own home:

• WePrescribe allows patients to video consult with a qualified doctor within one hour of making their online appointment. After completing a thorough questionnaire to evaluate the patient’s health status, patients can schedule a live video chat with a board-certified, Hawaii physician within one hour. The fee is $49.99 per consultation and is available daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• HMSA members and anyone in Hawaii can use HMSA’s Online Care® to talk to a doctor online from the comfort and privacy of their home or office. It’s secure and convenient and is available at little or no cost to HMSA members. HMSA’s Online Care providers participate with HMSA and have been fully credentialed. See these telehealth resources here:  Telehealth Resources & Hotlines (various providers listed)

• Kaiser Permanente
• Medicare COVID test and Telehealth information
• MedQUEST Telehealth 
• MedQUEST/Medicaid General Information

SOCIAL DISTANCING IS THE NEW NORMAL: MASK UP IN PUBLIC
Governor’s 5th Proclamation signed last Thursday (4/16) requires more stringent social distancing, and, among other rules, encourages you to wear a cloth face mask in public. It also requires all employees and customers waiting to enter and while in essential business establishments that have contact with customers or goods to be purchased (e.g., grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets, etc.) to wear a cloth face covering. See CDC recommendation.

I received a couple complaints that masks are hard to get.  But you can wear a scarf or make your own (see one of our earlier messages).  You may be lucky enough to get a free mask from one of our community-minded neighbors Adrian Tam who gave away 500 anti-viral masks on Sunday.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT: SERVICES FOR YOU
Mahalo to those who are finding new ways to address our needs as we weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are a couple in our district:

• HELP IS ON THE WAY is a new non-profit to serve kupuna, health care workers and others shut in with no wheels or quarantined at home.  Made up of about 200 volunteers they will pick up and deliver groceries to you for free.  You order from your grocer and request help online at https://hihelpisontheway.org or call (406) 426-1013

• KOKUA KAU KAU KITS is a pilot program by Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Assn and Y.Hata to offer some special grocery options to furloughed hospitality workers and their families. They are selling two hefty packages to feed a families of 8-10 people.  See the two bundles and other details.  It is a pilot project so they will offer this special this week so you need to place your order by 10 am on Wednesday (4/22) for pickup on Friday (4/24) at Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk from 9 -11am. It is a pilot project so if there is enough interest they will continue the program so try it out.

Take care and stay healthy!

Aloha Neighbor,

The Senate Special Committee Meeting met Friday at 11am, with a lot of ground covered on issues of concern that were left unanswered in previous meetings.

We heard from the Governor’s Chief of Staff presenting the state’s financial condition. Based on revenue projections and impact on the state budget, mitigating measures and proposed plans were shared. Given the projected downturn in revenues, projected at $1.4 – $1.5 billion in FY ’21, the administration proposed a plan of action. See the notes from the meeting that will be posted at the special committee webpage. No decisions have been made; and discussion with the legislature has begun. Stay tuned.

Director of Commerce & Consumer Affairs Catherine Awakuni Colon and Attorney General Clare Conners answered a number of consumer issues and discussed the Governor’s Fifth Proclamation signed today.

Landlord-Tenant Questions

Many were concerned about the possibility of evictions if paychecks and unemployment checks were not received. On Friday, the Governor signed the 5^th Proclamation that provides for an eviction moratorium, preventing any eviction from a residential dwelling for failure to pay rent, maintenance fees, utility charges, taxes or other required fees, effective through April 30, 2020.  While the period covered is through April 30, the Attorney General stated that the date may very well be extended. See more details on the Office of Consumer Protection website. Should you have questions or need assistance, call the Residential Landlord-Tenant Information Center at 808-586-2634 from 8am – 12 noon, Monday through Friday except state holidays. Or click on this link.

Federally Backed Mortgage – For landlords who cannot make mortgage, some banks are working to help. Check with your mortgage servicer.  Homeowners with federally-backed mortgages can be helped under the federal relief CARES Act.  See: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/guide-coronavirus-mortgage-relief-options/

Other Consumer Issues.  For other consumer issues such as price gouging, consumer scams, business and health insurance coverage, phone the Consumer Resource Center at 587-4272.

Stepped up social distancing in public places, essential businesses, and eviction moratorium were covered in the latest proclamation by the Governor. There are more stringent requirements to mask up when working in or visiting essential businesses. See the specific details of the 5^th Proclamation here.  If you are at a loss on ideas on how you can mask up you can get ideas from these folks.  The Governor also issued an executive order suspending a number of laws such as offsite dispensing of needed medication, telehealth coverage, and renewal of various licenses. For more details see Executive Order 20-04.

How are we protecting our borders: airport checkpoint.  The committee was pleased to hear that the Department of Transportation/Airports with the partnership of Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) has changed its procedures to screen all deplaning passengers at the airport. All passengers, visitor or resident, will need to pass a medical thermal screening, provide local residence address and phone number (which will be verified) and will be monitored to assure the person does not leave his/her room during the 14-day quarantine period, and will agree to all the social distancing requirements, including wearing a face mask. Failure to abide by these requirements will be subject to a maximum of $5,000 fine and/or a year in jail.  A copy of the new procedures and other HTA efforts will be posted on the Senate committee website.

Screening and Testing: Another drive through site coming this Sunday
If you have a cough or fever or if you have been in contact with someone who has tested COVID positive please go to your physician who can send you to get tested. Or you can attend one of the “free” testings.  Note: if you have no symptoms, you may not be a candidate for testing but they can give you a thermal screening.  Testing will occur this Sunday at Kakaako Waterfront Park from 9am to 1pm. Click here for more information.

Take care & stay healthy!