• West Hawaii Community Health Center Expanding
> (West Hawaii Today, April 22, 2008; login required)

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• WHCHC Caregiver Addresses State Legislators

Peggy Innes, West Hawaii Community Health Center (WHCHC) patient and caregiver to a former WHCHC special needs patient, addressed members of the House Committees on Health and Human Services and Housing on January 25th, CHC (Community Health Center) Day at the Capitol in Honolulu. Peggy’s message, simple yet eloquent, spoke of WHCHC staff’s excellent health care services for her friend, Bob, while providing example upon example of the warm and caring aloha repeatedly extended to a community member in great need. “Bob had no special connections to justify the special treatment he consistently received, but was treated like royalty by the center’s angels whenever the need arose, which was often and time consuming,” said Peggy,  “I soon saw that this special treatment was extended to all who entered the doors of WHCHC; it was the lifestyle at the center.”

Committee legislators were told by Beth Giesting, Executive Director of the Hawai`i Primary Care Association, that Peggy’s was one of the thousands of similar stories that unfold every day inside the walls of community health centers in the state – caring people extending their skills…with aloha. The neediest in our communities are assisted in working through the multiple aspects of their health challenges, including the financial one.

Not only did individual legislators approach Peggy after the session had ended to thank her for flying to Honolulu to personally share Bob’s story with them, but several members of the audience did so as well.  They were employees of state agencies, the media, other health center staff and boards, and of course, concerned community members from various islands. The message had been clearly delivered – continued state financial support of these community health centers was imperative, period.