Ka‘ū News Briefs Saturday, March 3, 2018

Rutted roads to Mahana Bay, Green Sand Beach, are discussed in the South Point management plan which calls for  designating specific roadways, trails and walkways and possibly charging admission to help pay for management of  the area. See the plan online with its history, cultural, wildlife and archaeological studies.

SOUTH POINT HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS are the subject of the final draft of of a management plan that was recently filed with the State of Hawai‘i. It calls for setting protocol for traveling through the area, including: defining trails, and walking and driving routes; protecting historic sites and natives species; establishing parking areas; and the possible levying of entrance fees.

See many maps, illustrations and proposed management idea for South Point online.

     The plan covers little-known historic places, along with locations popular with locals and visitors, such as Green Sand Beach, and the South Point cliffs frequented by fishermen, campers, and those risking diving into the ocean. One proposal is to allow walking along a trail to Green Sand Beach, and reserve driving for an emergency road that would be located mauka.
     The plan for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands was compiled by the planning firm Townscape, after years of research and gathering public input.
     The document includes not only a plan for management of South Point, but its history, an Archaeological Survey, and a Cultural Impact Survey. Many Ka‘ū residents are quoted with their ideas for the future of South Point. The document can be read online. See a series of upcoming stories on the plan in Ka‘ū News Briefs and in The Ka‘ū Calendar newspaper.

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To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

IMPROVEMENTS TO HELP STROKE AND HEART ATTACK VICTIMS in Ka‘ū and other remote places, through the state legislature funding for Hilo Medical Center, has strong support from Sen. Gil Kahele. His family is rooted in Miloli‘i, one of the communities most isolated from medical care in all of Hawai‘i. On Friday, he issued the following message:
     "Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the nation, including the State of Hawai‘i. In Hawai‘i, 22 percent of all hospital costs are a result of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks are responsible for almost 4,000 deaths per year. A heart attack is life-threatening and must be treated quickly and effectively. The sooner a heart attack is treated, the more heart muscle saved, which results in a greater chance of surviving and recovering. For over 25 years, the gold standard treatment for heart attacks has been Percutaneous Coronary Interventions, aka balloon angioplasty and stent placement.

A helicopter, lifting a stroke or heart attack patient out of Ka‘ū Hospital for treatment in Honolulu or Maui, is a long-distance, expensive effort that could have better results with more cardiac capabilities at Hilo Medical Center. Photo by Julia Neal

     "At first, only hospitals that offered open heart surgery would operate these cardiac catheterization labs due to the risk of complications that required surgical intervention. Studies have consistently shown that the complication rates have dropped significantly over the years and according to a 2012 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, 'Door-to-balloon times may be shorter, and outcomes consequently better, if primary PCI is widely available.'
     "However, many of the barriers to offering interventional cardiology for heart attack treatment to Hawai‘i Island residents have been reduced or eliminated. Distance, transportation issues, and more importantly, access to available medical services present real challenges for patients at Hilo Medical Center and other isolated areas. Access to available medical services aside, emergency medical transportation alone costs upwards of 30k – 75k from Hilo to O‘ahu.
     "Hilo Medical Center is committed to providing exceptional and compassionate care for the community. Cardiac interventions are complicated procedures performed in an emergent and stressful environment and it is important that Hilo Medical Center supports an organizational culture of high quality and patient safety. Once an interventional cardiology program is established in East Hawai‘i, a gradual expansion of service to most of the Hawai‘i Island is expected. Most patients on Hawai‘i Island, will be able to receive definitive heart attack care more quickly with an interventional cardiology program on island, than they would with care provided only on O‘ahu."

     For testimony that came from Ka‘ū and Volcano on this issue, see yesterday's Ka‘ū News Briefs.