Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday Feb. 8, 2022

HEALTHIER ORGANIZATIONS FOR EVERYONE, a Covid testing program for businesses, was announced by Mayor Mitch Roth on Tuesday. Healthier Organizations for Everyone, HOE - pronounced Hoy in Hawaiian, will be administered by County of Hawaiʻi in partnership with Community First  through its Our Kuleana Pledge Partners to help prevent workplace spread through travel-related testing.  

    Participating organizations are encouraged to provide a rapid test to all employees, vaccinated and unvaccinated, before traveling off-island and collect rapid test results 24-hours before the employee's anticipated return to the workplace. The statement from the county says, "Employees who receive a positive or inconclusive test result should inform their employer before returning to the workplace. Employees who receive a negative rapid test result may return to the workplace without additional testing."

    The Mayor said, "At the heart of a healthy economy is a healthy and vibrant workplace. We have reached a point in the pandemic where we must continue to march forward as a community. Through partnerships with our on-island businesses to test employees who travel off-island, we believe that we can prevent a majority of workplace spread and ultimately reduce community spread islandwide. That said, we are incredibly grateful for all of the businesses who jumped at the opportunity to join us in this effort and continue to welcome all Hawaiʻi Island businesses to sign up if they haven't already.

      "Our Kuleana Pledge Partners continue to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in our community through their safe workplace practices. The HOE Program allows businesses to take their effort to another level, for their organization, their family, and their community through this opportunity for testing employees who travel offisland." 

    Vanessa Carlson, Program Manager Community First, said that since the program's launch on Feb. 4, 18 partnerships have been created in agreement with the HOE testing program. In addition, the first 100 businesses to sign up for the program will receive 20 free rapid tests procured by Community First Hawaiʻi as part of an incentive to join the collective effort. Individual businesses are responsible for purchasing all other tests per the program. 

    To learn more about this program, visit: www.hawaiicounty.gov/healthyorg.

     Hawaiʻi Community First is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit founded by the late Barry Taniguchi in 2014 to serve as a neutral forum for the community to come together and as a catalyst for solutions to improve health and lower medical costs on Hawaiʻi Island based on the community good. 

    The county statement says, "Through its programs, Community First hopes to shift the healthcare model from reactively treating disease to proactively caring for the health of every person on Hawaiʻi Island." 

   It also says that the word hoe, pronounced "hoy" in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, "translates to paddle. In a canoe or waʻa, every person garners a critical role and is responsible for pulling their weight. With each paddle stroke, the waʻa gets closer to its desired destination. However, if every paddle does not move in perfect harmony, the journey becomes much longer. Throughout this pandemic, we have seen every sector of our community paddling harmoniously, with one common goal – protecting each other and keeping each other safe. That is why we have been able to glide through the rough waters of this pandemic and are closer than ever to our destination. The word hoe can also mean to travel and is suiting since the purpose of the business testing is travel related."

NEWEST CANDIDATE ANNOUNCING FOR HAWAIʻI COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6 is Jordan J Anger of Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. The district runs from north of Captain Cook through all of Kaʻū to include much of Volcano Village. Anger graduated from Konawaena in the class of '99 and has lived in Ocean View for eight years with his wife, Ayla, son, Gavin, and mother-in-law, Joy. Although Anger has no political background or affiliation, he says he has a strong background in business. "I've worked for a fortune 500 company, mom-and-pop businesses, and have helped with the creation and development of successful businesses on this island."

Jordon C. Anger, of Ocean View,  has announced he is running for County Council.

    Anger said he looks forward to addressing issues impacting the Kaʻū community, stating: "I believe in this community and am concerned about the abandoned vehicles that have come to line our roadways, the ever-rising crime rates, and the fact that there are so few local jobs in District 6."
    On Thursday, Feb. 3, Anger gave testimony before a state Senate Committee regarding SB3211. The bill was introduced by Sen. Dru Kanuha after his visit to Hawaiian Ocean View Estates in December 2021. The bill would appropriate funds to the County of Hawaiʻi for the plans, design, and construction of a police substation in HOVE. During his testimony, Anger said that since living in HOVE, "we have seen a dramatic increase in crime in the area... The need for a police substation in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates is felt by all in the community, those who have lived here for decades and those who are just moving to the area. Since moving here, we have witnessed abandoned cars being dumped, arson, stolen cars roaming around the area, cars without plates or windshields driving around with little consequence, drug usage, and we have read of countless burglaries, theft, and assaults." He concluded that, "it seems an awful unnecessary burden for the officers who work so hard in our community to have to travel all the way to the opposite end of Nāʻālehu to book and process. Our community in HOVE deserves the best response time our good officers can provide."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See February events and Kaʻū Calendar newspaper sponsors at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/02/events-of-february-2022.html.

A post on Rep. Jeanne Kapelea's website,supporting working family legislation. Photo from www.capitol.hawaii.gov/memberpage.aspx?member=Kapela

WORKING FAMILIES                LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS has been launched in the state House of Representatives and Senate under leadership of Rep. Jeanne Kapela and a diverse collection of lawmakers in the 2022 Hawai'i Legislature.

    Kapela represents the House of Representatives District from South Kona to Honu'apo.
    According to a post on Kapele's website at www.capitol.hawaii.gov/memberpage.aspx?member=Kapela, the coalition has formed "to elevate legislative efforts aimed at improving economic conditions for
much of the local working class, including households with children."
    Thirteen Democrats and the one Republican in the state House and Senate formed Working Families Caucus. They sponsored five bills, aiming to improve finances of lower-income residents through higher wage and benefits, plus changes in tax policy, says the post on Kapela's website.
Kapela, who represents Honu'apo into Captain Cook-Keauhou, led the formation of the caucus and serves as serves as chair. The post quotes her saying, “I think it’s about time that we push for, fight for and pass legislation that will uplift Hawaii’s working families.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See February events and Kaʻū Calendar newspaper sponsors at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/02/events-of-february-2022.html.