Big Island Wahine Winner of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2008 Community Health Leaders Award

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced the 2008 recipients of its Community Health Leaders (CHL) Award at its Annual Meeting in San Diego. The CHL Award honors unrecognized individuals who overcome daunting odds to improve the health and quality of life for underserved men, women and children in communities across the United States.

Now in its 15th year, the CHL awardees represent the geographical, cultural, ethnic, social and economic diversity of America. From providing deaf patients better access to medical care with interpreters, to giving low-income children a fair start on their education with eye exams, to violence prevention programs for teens, the awardees have dedicated themselves to tackling some of the most intractable problems affecting the health of their communities…

…This year’s winners join a distinguished and diverse group of 150 previous award recipients. The 2008 Community Health Leaders named today are…

3) DEANN CANUTESON, President of the Full Life Corporation, Kealakekua, Hawaii

As a junior in high school, Deann Canuteson visited a residential care facility for people with developmental disabilities and was shocked at the way people lived. That visit so profoundly impacted Canuteson that she has dedicated her adult life to building a world where people with intellectual and physical disabilities have greater opportunities and can make their own decisions about every aspect of their lives. Through her work at Full Life Corporation on Hawaii’s “Big Island,” Canuteson’s unrelenting advocacy has brought access to much-needed services previously not available for residents of the state. For example, today, approximately 2,500 people with developmental disabilities on the island of Hawaii now have access to services provided through the Medicaid Waiver Program…

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Today’s KO

Nothing better then live television:

Is GMO Bill 361 Official Now???

It has been more then 10 days since the County Council approved Bill 361.

If memory serves me correct, the mayor only has 10 days to sign the bill or veto the bill otherwise it becomes law regardless of what Harry Kim says after that 10 days.

Does anyone know if it is now official?

Kahana Eviction Videos

Six families who have called part of Kahana State Park home for generations are packing up and getting ready to clear out.

Here are some videos of what is going on from the stand point of the residents:

Ahi “Poke” Linked to Salmonella Cases

Eating contaminated raw tuna can be a cause of Salmonella infection, a researcher from Hawaii warned on Tuesday…

…The only significant correlate of Salmonella infection was raw fish consumption in the 7 days before illness onset. Eighty-six percent of case patients had consumed raw fish compared with just 28 percent of controls.In most cases, ahi “poke,” which is often made from imported frozen tuna, was the fish consumed. The investigators could identify no single store, store chain, or supplier that accounted for all of the exposures.

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