September/October 2023
September/October 2023 Newsletter: Maui Relief Updates from Dr Ignacio, Diabetes symposium wrap up, upcoming events and new opportunities.
President's Corner
Diabetes Symposium: September 3, 2023
Aloha, PMAH family! It has been a very busy Q3, culminating in our Labor Day Weekend Diabetes Symposium at The Kahala Resort. Thank you to our sponsors, attendees, and Q3 CME Chairs Drs Rainier and Rhea Bautista for making this another successful event for our organization.
Diabetes Symposium: September 3, 2023
Sincere thanks to PMAH member, Dr Elizabeth Ignacio, a Radiologist on Maui and current Vice President of the Hawaii Medical Association for keeping us updated on Maui wildfire relief efforts. Dr Ignacio, who will be inducted as HMA President in a few weeks, has been attending weekly support meetings to help coordinate care on the ground in Maui. She reported that in these early days and weeks, the Filipino medical and religious communities have shown up in force to continue to provide displaced residents with medical as well as culturally sensitive care and support. Filipinos represent between 30-40% of the current West Maui population. Lahaina was not only an early seat of Hawaiian government, but due to the plantation industry, represented a major hub for the immigration and establishment of Filipinos in the Hawaiian Islands.
Dr Elizabeth Ann Ignacio
HMA President 2023 - 2025
WATCH HMA's Update on Lahaina Healthcare Efforts (Sept 22, 2023)
PMAH has been working alongside organizations including HMA, DOH, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA) and the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii (FCCH) to develop a multi-arm plan to help provide financial, community and medical support to the people and providers of West Maui. Along with basic primary care, a significant need for psychological support remains unmet. Help is and will continue to be needed for many months to come. If you would like to volunteer, links to sign up are below.
DOH volunteers still needed: APPLY
Re-entry healthcare volunteers: SIGN UP
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.
Together, we can make a difference!
Aloha and salamat!
Lyla Cachola Prather, MD
President, Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii 22’-24’
Past Events
Diabetes Symposium: September 3, 2023 at the Kahala Resort Gallery
Upcoming Events
2023 Komen Hawaii MORE THAN PINK Walk
TEAM: Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii
October 8, 2023
Susan Komen Breast Cancer Awareness Walk from 2022
Email pmahinfo@gmail.com if interested and to reserved your bento.
Inauguration Gala 2024 (Tickets on sale NOW!)
Royal Hawaiian
January 27, 2024
Join us at the Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii's 44th inauguration Gala, themed 'Kasaysayan at Kinabukasan.' We'll celebrate our collective achievements in healthcare and honor the heroes among us. Be a part of this special night that promises to blend legacy with a vision for the future.
Interested in joining a committee? We are looking for volunteers to help with event planning, fundraising/ sponsorships, decorations and more!
Email pmahinfo@gmail.com if you’re interested. Mahalo!
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/
The Hawai‘i/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center is pleased to announce the Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program (HELP), funded by the Hawai‘i State Legislature. HELP provides qualified educational loan debt repayment to health professionals licensed, or otherwise certified, to practice in and provide care to patients in Hawai‘i. The Internal Revenue Service defines Qualified Educational Loans under 26 USC 221(d)(1). The State expects HELP to help improve the number of providers in medically underserved areas of Hawai‘i, as well as improve the recruitment and retention of healthcare workers caring for the people of Hawai‘i by lessening the burden of large educational debt.
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