July/August 2023
President's Corner
Dear PMAH members and friends,
Overnight, the Maui landscape has been razed and changed forever. The Lahaina we knew, from the storefronts to the banyan tree is now mere ash and memories. These brushfires are the largest and most costly disaster that our islands have experienced, eclipsing the losses that were caused by hurricane Iniki in 1992.
Many of us have deep roots in Maui and/or have family and friends currently living through the devastation. The first of my relatives to immigrate from the Philippines settled on Maui, and later petitioned so others could immigrate to Hawaii. I reached out to my Maui contacts and Maui Disaster Response and Recovery to offer our organization’s assistance in the areas of medical relief, outreach and rebuilding. Coordinators will pair us with various organizations based on need. Additionally, the PMAH Board of Governors will be meeting soon to create our action plan.
If you’d like to volunteer with PMAH, please fill out this google form. We will prepare a list for when we are called to serve: MAUI RELIEF VOLUNTEER FORM. Big salamat to President-Elect Dr. Rainier Bautista for creating this tracker and spearheading our efforts, along with our Executive Director, Dr. Rhea Bautista.
For those of you who wish to donate monetarily, the following links were provided by PMAH member and interim JABSOM Dean Dr. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum and board member Dr. Melissa Natavio:
The Salvation Army: www.hawaii.salvationarmy.org
Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund: www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong
UH Foundation - Maui Students: www.uhfoundation.org/give/giving-opportunity/help-maui-students
Lastly, please take a moment to send out a personal prayer or positive thought for the residents of Maui who have lost homes, businesses and loved ones, and for Maui’s first responders and frontline workers.
Together, we can make a difference.
Aloha and salamat!
Lyla Cachola Prather, MD
President, Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii 22’-23’
Upcoming Events
Labor Day Weekend CME: Diabetes Symposium
Kahala Resort
September 3, 2023
2023 Komen Hawaii MORE THAN PINK Walk
TEAM: Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii
October 8, 2023
Inauguration Gala 2024
Royal Hawaiian
January 27, 2024
Updates
1. On the MONEY front, local legislative bills SB397/HB1367, to raise Medicaid/QUEST pay, and SB1035/HB662, bills to eliminate the GET on healthcare, are moving through the Hawaii Legislature. Also progressing are the loan repayment (SB164/HB661) and Preceptor Tax Credit (for specialists as well as PCPs SB1215/HB82) bills. If you want to voice your opinion, itʻs easy to do: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/
2. Help us raise Hawaii's Medicare rates! -- We are working with our Federal Legislators to try to get Medicare rates raised. To do this, we need to assess the cost of having a practice in Hawaii. If you own or run a practice, please complete our brief anonymous survey about costs of practicing in Hawaii: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/37RLWDV
Join the PMAH Legislative Committee!
Do you want to know more about what bills are being introduced that potentially affect healthcare in Hawaii?
Are you passionate about advocacy and effecting change in Hawaii's healthcare landscape?
Email PMAHinfo@gmail.com and let us know you're interested, and will pass it along to committee chair, Dr. Jerald Garcia.
Physician Opportunities
Are you a specialist who is willing to provide telehealth to rural areas of Hawaii? Email kelleywithy@gmail.com for more information.
Do you want to advertise an open position? Do you want to find a job in Hawaii? Do you want to meet a resident who may be interested in joining your practice? Email Your Hawaii Physician Recruiter: Thomas Hao hao4@hawaii.edu
For HMSA formularies, save this link (https://hmsa.com/help-center/your-hmsa-drug-formulary-list/). You can just put the three digit drug code from the patient's HMSA card (DRUG: xxx) and it will tell you which formulary to look at: https://hmsa.com/help-center/your-hmsa-drug-formulary-list/
COVID Vaccine Information
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html
https://hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine-faqs/
COVID Vaccine Access
https://www.filcomcares.org/events
https://www.oneoahu.org/find-vaccine
https://www.hawaiipacifichealth.org/hph-covid-19-updates/vaccine-update/
PMAH is a proud partner of the FilCom CARES project to provide COVID-19 resources our Filipino Communities.
To subscribe to the FilCom CARES newsletter, click HERE
Follow FilCom CARES on Facebook and Instagram for updates
Interested in becoming a member?
Benefits of PMAH Membership
As a member of the PMAH you will be able to:
1. Engage Filipino healthcare leaders in advancing the health and well-being of communities in Hawaii and abroad.
2. Be allowed to participate in a number of unparalleled networking opportunities to connect with your peers, mentors, and other medical leaders in Hawaii.
3. Attend conventions, seminars, dinners and other related events with like-minded professionals in the field
4. Keep up with the newest developments through our CME Courses and other educational opportunities
5. Become involved with Ohana Medical Missions, providing healthcare and health education to indigent patients in the Philippines, Hawaii, and other countries
Want to be more involved in PMAH?
We welcome and encourage PMAH membership engagement!!
If you have a special interest, please ask us!
We also are always looking for potential new board members.
New ideas, suggestions, concerns, and comments welcome!
Please reach out to us!
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
DONATE to PMAH and our Affiliates
Due to the pandemic, our usual conferences and other fundraising events for the year were cancelled/postponed/adjusted. Therefore at this time, we rely on donations to fund our projects and operational costs.
Your donations are greatly appreciated !
https://pmah-hawaii.org/take-action
All affiliates are non-profit charitable organizations 501(c)(3).
*When making a donation, please specify in comments preferred use ie general fund, mentorship, etc.
CONTACT US
We'd love to learn about announcements / education / opportunities / events
Please email pmahinfo@gmail.com
