The Kaiser Permanente Clinic in Kona recently drew approximately 400 Pacific Islanders for a mass vaccination clinic on the Big Island, with Hawaii County even donating vans to shuttle residents from as far as Hilo.
Dr. Wilfred Alik, chair of Kaiser’s Hilo and Waimea Clinics, told Hawaii Public Radio that the calls by community volunteers to fill up the lists were only part of getting things done, and the county’s transportation assistance helped to make sure those calls weren’t in vain.
“Putting them on the list is one thing, but getting them there is really what matters,” Alik told the Public Radio. “The mayor actually donated four vans. So, we took two vans out to Ocean View, one to Hilo, one to Kona, and just you know trucked people in.”
While Pacific Islanders make up approximately 4% of Hawaii’s total population, they account for approximately 22% of COVID-19 cases in the state, Public Radio reported. Alik said that hurdles such as internet access and transportation make it more difficult to reach Pacific Islanders on Big Island with the vaccine.
Alik also gave credit to community organizations that helped to make the clinic come together, including the COVID-19 Marshallese Task Force, the Big Island Marshallese Community Association, Micronesians United Big Island, Micronesian Health Advisory Coalition, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands Consulate.