Volume 18, Issue No. 35 - August 24, 2009

The Queen’s
T
Connection
HE
QU
EEN’
S MEDICAL CENTE
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A Weekly Publication for the People of Queen’s • Vol. 18 • No. 35 • August 24, 2009
Senator & Mrs. Inouye Lend Support to Queen’s
1.
2.
I
It was a low key visit from high profile
visitors. Back in Hawaii for his August
recess, U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye
and his wife, Irene Hirano Inouye, came
to The Queen’s Medical Center to visit the Emergency Department, Queen’s
Cancer Center and Women’s Health Center. Both Senator and Mrs. Inouye also
supported Queen’s 150th anniversary
fundraising event, “An Everlasting Legacy of Giving,” by serving as Honorary
Co-Chairs. (See related story on page 3.)
A standing invitation had been extended to Senator and Mrs. Inouye earlier, so when they returned to Hawaii,
they took time out of their two-week
stay to visit Queen’s. The Senator—
who has had a longstanding interest
in health care long before the current
debate on reform—saw his visit as an
opportunity to see firsthand some of
the recent changes at Queen’s and hear
directly from staff about the issues
facing health care providers.
3.
The first stop for Senator and Mrs. Inouye was the Queen’s Emergency Room.
Staff had the opportunity to discuss
with them the current issues in emergency medicine in Hawaii. The fact that
the ER saw nearly 50,000 patients last
fiscal year was noted, as well as Queen’s
reputation of accepting all patients regardless of their ability to pay and of
providing the best care. Staff members
stated that as unemployment rises during the recession, increased demands
on services will continue due to the loss
of health insurance benefits.
Doctors at the Queen’s Cancer Center
4.
1.Senator and Mrs. Inouye arrive at
Queen’s. 2. A visit to the Women’s Health
Center. 3. The senator and his wife tour the
Emergency Room. 4. Senator Inouye with
Kaye Kawahara, MD, and Clayton Chong,
MD, of the Queen’s Cancer Center.
discussed cancer statistics and how many
cancers disproportionately affect Native
Hawaiians. Physicians informed the Senator that 50 percent of cancer patients in
Hawaii receive at least some part of their
care at Queen’s, ranging from diagnosis
(Continued on page 4.)
Hula May Lead to Healthy Hearts
R
Rehab isn’t po1.
etic and it isn’t
pretty; but if
your cardiac rehab happens to
be hula, that’s a
horse of quite
a different color. Noting that
hula is much
more than just a
physical outlet, principal investigators
Todd Seto, MD, Keawe Kaholokula,
PhD, co-investigator Mele Look, MBA,
and Frederic Pashkow, MD, came up
with the Hula Empowering Lifestyle
Adaptations (HELA) Study. The fiveyear study is a joint project of QMC
and The University of Hawaii John
A. Burns School of Medicine and is
funded by the National Institute of
Health (NIH). The study is now entering its third year, following intensive
research protocol and control group
background work. The first class of hula students enrolled in June under the
tutelage of noted kumu hula Mapuana
deSilva, who also serves as the cultural
consultant for the study.
The study hypothesizes that hula will
improve both cardiovascular health as
well as quality of life. It addresses the
needs of the Native Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander population who are statistically found to need bypass surgery at
a younger age and have higher risk for
obesity and diabetes than non-Hawaiians. This group also tends to be underinsured and therefore less likely to have
cardiac rehabilitation referrals. Hula
was proposed as an effective cultural
based intervention that would be both
appealing and effective to participants.
The first class met three times a week
for 12 weeks and graduated in June.
Many plan to continue to study hula.
“In preparation for our study, we spoke
with many kumu,” Mele said. “Aside from
being extremely positive about the outcome, they were just so knowledgeable
and helpful. They gave valuable input
with regard to class size and retention,
as well as parameters for keeping the
cultural integrity of the hula which was
very important to us as well.”
2
2.
Kumu deSilva brings a wealth of
knowledge that goes even beyond her
30-plus years of hula expertise. Before
hula took over her life, she was a physical education teacher, a background
that melds well with the rehabilitative
aspects of the study. “The study felt
so right from the very beginning, “she
said. “It is a good thing for our people,
for hula, for cardiac rehabilitation.
Mapuana is the kumu of award winning Halau Mohala ‘Ilima and is used
to a positive reaction from the students
in her halau, but was surprised by the
level of response from the students in
the HELA study. “They were so enthusiastic and appreciative,” she noted.
“Most of the participants had no prior
hula background, and yet by the end
of the session, they had as much love
and appreciation for hula as my long
time students do. Before the Study began, I knew they would be thankful for
the health benefits that could come
from the class. But what made them so
overwhelmingly appreciative was the
unique combination of the benefits of
both hula and health improvement together. Although the participants had
only known each other for 12 weeks,
by the end there were many tears, lei
and hugs filling the room.”
One of the participants commented,
“I was glad to be in the class, not just
1. Kumu hula Mapuana deSilva. 2. Students at Hala Mohala ‘Ilima participated in
the study as a control group before cardiac
patients began rehab.
for myself, but because I know that
what the Study is learning will help
so many others.” Another confided,
“It was wonderful; I didn’t expect the
class to be such a spiritual experience
for me.” The daughter of a third participant wrote a thank you note that
said, “From the bottom of my heart, I
thank you for being so instrumental in
my Mom’s recovery. The day I dropped
her off for class, the spirit and aloha
I felt simply from entering the room
was awesome. Words can never adequately express the deep appreciation
I have for you, kumu,and your team of
wonderful professionals who chose my
Mom to participate in this project.”
The next session is now enrolling
participants. Classes will start at the
end of September. Participants must
be at least 18 years old and have had
recent cardiac surgery. The study is
open to men and women. Participants
may be paid up to $150 upon completion of the 12-week session. Classes
will be held at Queen’s in the Women’s
Health Center. Parking is validated.
Contact Malia Young, RN, at 545-8768
for more information.
An Everlasting Legacy of Giving
A
1.
2.
A 150th anniversary celebration fundraising event, “An Everlasting Legacy
of Giving,” was held on August 14. U.S.
Senator Daniel K. Inouye and Mrs.
Irene Hirano Inouye served as Honorary Co-Chairs of the event, which was
held at The Kahala Hotel & Resort.
In addition to the distinguished
co-chairs, the event featured Eric K.
Keawe, who reflected on the exceptional care his mother, Aunty Genoa
Keawe, received at Queen’s in the last
stages of her life until her death in February 2008. Accompanying herself on
the ukulele, Pomaika‘i Keawe Lyman,
daughter of Eric and granddaughter
3.
4.
5.
6.
of Aunty Genoa, moved the audience
with her rendition of “For a Peaceful
World,” written by Irmgard Aluli.
Queen’s Chief Operating Officer and
Executive Vice President Mark Yamakawa donated 37 glass and ceramic pieces
which he created. A silent auction was
held for the works of art, which were
a part of the centerpiece on each table.
Naleen Andrade, MD, Chair of the QHS
Board of Trustees, ended the successful event by thanking the patrons and
7.
1. U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye 2. Irene Hirano Inouye. 3. Naleen Andrade, MD. 4.
Eric Keawe. 5. Pomaikai Keawe Lyman. 6.
Art Ushijima. 7. Noreen Mokuau, DSW,
and Art with Honorary Co-Chairs.
comparing them to the first subscribers of The Queen’s Hospital. “Giving to
Queen’s began in the mid-1800s,” she
said, “it’s not much different today.” She
also recalled how the Queen devoted
herself to her hospital in spite of the
“crushing grief” she felt over the loss of
her child and husband. Concluding, Dr.
Andrade called on our Founders, King
Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, to
be our guides into the future.
This very successful community
event was managed and led by Sharlene Tsuda, Queen’s Vice President of
Community Development, and Natalie
Arrell, Director of Development. There
were 370 guests at the dinner, which
raised more than $230,000 from table
sales of $25,000, $10,000, $5,000, and
$3,500. Proceeds from the event will
be used to support programs and services at The Queen’s Medical Center.
3
The last of the annual System-wide
Employee forums with QMC President Art Ushijima in the Kamehameha
Auditorium will be held on Wednesday, August 25 at 2:30 to 3:30 pm. Reservations are not necessary.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thomas J. Kane III, MD, has been
named Medical Director of the Queen’s
Joint Center. Dr. Kane has served as
Assistant Chief of Orthopedics at QMC
since 2003. Since 1993, he served as
Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the John A. Burns School of
Inouyes Lend
Support to Queen’s
(Continued from page 1.)
to treatment. The Senator was surprised
to learn that the Queen’s Cancer Center offers complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM), such as acupuncture
and massage therapy. Both he and Mrs.
Inouye were impressed with the resortBelow: Sharlene Tsuda, VP, Community Development; Darlena Chadwick, RN,
VP, Patient Care; Noreen Mokuau, DSW,
Chair, QMC Board of Trustees, Mark Yamakawa, COO, EVP; U.S. Senator Daniel
Inouye; Art Ushijima, QHS President; Irene
Hirano Inouye; and Naleen Andrade, MD,
Chair, QHS Board of Trustees.
4
Medicine. He is also the founder and
Director of the Joint Reconstruction
Institute of the Pacific.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The new Queen’s Employee Emergency Information Line provides timely
information and answers to questions
on whether or not you need to report to
work during an emergency, such as a natural disaster. The number is 537-7900.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Four Queen’s teams participated in
the recent American Cancer Society
Relay for Life at Magic Island. The
24-hour event is a major fundraiser for
cancer research and prevention. The
Queen’s ‘ohana received a Gold Award,
given to groups raising between $5,000
$10,000 in donations. “It was a lot
of work that couldn’t have been done
without a team effort,” said QET 7 Oncology team captain Shawna Chong,
RN. “[The] event that gave a lot of hope
that we will find a way to cure cancer.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Queens Basketball League week
10 results are: Nurses 60-DLS 37; Security 57-PT 29; QE T8DH 41-CPD/
Maint 21; OR 39-FTC 37 (OT). Visit
www.theqbl.com for more information.
Games start at 6:00 pm.
like feel and décor of the Women’s Health
Center and the range of services offered.
At the fundraising event, which was
held the following evening, Senator Inouye said, “Yesterday was an inspiration—I really mean that.” The Senator
went on to say that he has served as
honorary chair for many organizations,
but it was the first time that he had
been led around by people who were so
exceptionally proud of their institution.
“I am proud to be Chair,” he concluded, noting that Hawaii has an institution that ranks with
many of the best
health care centers in
the U.S. Mrs. Inouye
had equally kind
words to share, saying that what came
through strongly
was the “warm spirit” of the staff and
their sincere care for
the patient.
Sell:
’02 Econoline Ford Van: White, seats 15,
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Rent:
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or $750 w/o prkg. 777-9087 or x7965, lv msg.
Misc:
Collecting eyeglasses & sunglasses: For a
Medical Mission to Nepal in Sept. Please call
Mike @ x4777.
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Connection
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wish to opine, call us at 537-7532 or e-mail
jkimura@queens.org. News deadline is the
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QMC President. . . . . . . . . . Art Ushijima
Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roy Cameron
Editor/Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Kimura
Assist. Ed./Writer. . . . . . . Glee Stormont
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