You Are What You Surf
Last fall, Cliff Kapono could be found surfing waves off the coasts of Ireland, Spain, Britain and Morocco. After a brief stop home in Hilo this January, he planned to head south to Chile and then west to Indonesia. Kapono’s…
Health & Wellness
Who's Who in Healthcare 2017
We rounded up the professionals and organizations that are staying abreast of the changes in healthcare and leading the way to a healthier Hawaii. CLICK HERE TO VIEW SECTION
Ask the Expert: Improving Employees’ Wellness
Q: I want my employees to be healthier in the New Year, but ours is a small business. How can I help without breaking the bank? A: Empowering employees to become healthier doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. All…
Water Warning
Most people are smart enough to stay out of the ocean when signs warn about bacteria in the water. The problem is we don’t always get that warning, or get it quickly enough, because Hawaii has 303 miles of recreational…
Editor's Note: Stop Whining
One of the biggest complaints about the media is we focus on bad news, so here’s good news: Hawaii is No. 1 on a national ranking vital to all of us. For the second year in a row, the Islands…
Tracing a Virus
This summer was a blur for Sarah Park, who is the state epidemiologist and head of the Department of Health’s Disease Outbreak Control Division. Each year, an average of 10 Hawaii residents contract Hepatitis A, which is considered a normal…
Wrangling the C-Arm
It takes muscle and skill to move some of the high-tech imaging equipment in preparation for surgery – and to get it out afterward. As a radiology technologist at The Queen’s Medical Center, Amy Davis helps reposition this C-arm x-ray…
Workplace Wellness Is Good for You, and for the Bottom Line
When Warren Buffett sees trends, people pay attention. Such was the case in the early 1990s, says David Hunnicutt, when Buffett and other Nebraska-based CEOs decided that workplace wellness deserved a closer look. They founded the Wellness Council of America…
Talk Story: Michael Gold, President and CEO of HMSA
For the past four years, Gold has led HMSA through a dramatic transformation in the healthcare industry. We ask him about the insurance company’s plans to fundamentally change how it pays physicians. Q: HMSA is about to embark on a…
Budding Industry
Sixteen years ago, Hawaii legalized medical marijuana but never made it easy for qualified patients to obtain it. That’s about to change: Eight companies are preparing to open stores statewide that will sell state-tested and regulated medical marijuana for roughly…
Hawaii Business Environmental Report: Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes have already caused a dengue fever outbreak in Hawaii. Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases may be close behind. Here’s what scientists are doing and what you should do. For most of Kepa Police’s life, mosquitoes were minor annoyances, simply…
Hawaii Business Environmental Report: Pesticides
Critics say use of the chemicals by seed companies endangers the health of Hawaii’s people, but the companies insist they are using pesticides safely and following federal regulations. A recent report suggests a way forward on the issue. Malia Chun…
Nonprofit Corner: Giving Life to Hawaiians
The kupuna who founded Hoola Lahui in 1986 gave the Kauai nonprofit its name, which means “to give life or health to the nation of Hawaii.” “They picked the name because they thought it would reflect what was needed, which…
Parting Shot: Life Savers
Monday, 3:11 pm Blood Bank of Hawaii Dillingham Boulevard Photo By Odeelo Dayondon Noelle Andrews and Cody Stoll place red blood cells, which have undergone 13 tests, into inventory at the Blood Bank of Hawaii. The Blood Bank is the sole…
The Business of Ahhh
For an hour each month for the past four years, Shelley Umeda has put her face in the hands of aesthetician Susan Snyder, who steams and massages it, plucks out impurities and skims off a layer of dead cells to…
The Careerist: Healthier, On Your Terms
My company has launched a wellness program, which leaves me with mixed feelings. I appreciate that the company cares about my health and I love the yoga class at lunchtime on Wednesdays, but there are also two other yoga classes,…
Good Neighbors with Aaron Okubo: Recycle Yourself
Aaron Okubo says organizations like Legacy of Life Hawaii saved his life. “Indirectly, I feel I’ve benefited from their efforts to encourage others to donate their organs and tissues for transplant,” reflects the 61-year-old senior program development manager at MC&A…
Preparing For When This is Not a Drill
"Are you breathing?" Emergency-room doctor David Williams leans over a “patient” covered in realistic-looking ash and blood. Surrounding him in the pop-up hospital tent lie a dozen more volunteer victims, ready for triage after a plane has crashed at Kahului Airport.…
Good Neighbors with Kevin Lockette: Support for Parkinson’s Patients
As a physical therapist and the co-owner of Ohana Pacific Rehabilitation Services in Kailua, Kevin Lockette has always been interested in people’s movement issues. He started one of the first fitness…
5 Steps to Exit Burnout Mode
CLASSIC BURNOUT SIGNS include exhaustion, lack of motivation and feelings of chronic stress on the job. Strike a chord? Executive coach Nina Cherry shares how you can end burnout and foster a better work-life balance. 1. Do what you love So…
Mental Illness in the Workplace: Anxious, Traumatized, Depressed
A MANAGER AT A HEALTHCARE NONPROFIT ON MAUI FELT stuck. One of her employees had anxiety, made worse by the stressful, high-conflict working environment of their field. The manager wanted to help, but when she spoke with the nonprofit’s corporate…
Smokers Are A Drag
Study after study has concluded that smokers are less productive workers than nonsmokers – both because they take more sick days and because they’re less productive while at work. So it’s not surprising that many Hawaii companies have programs to…
Nutrition in a Dessert
Creators: Arnie Koss describes himself and his twin brother, Ron, as entrepreneurs. Before creating Brio, they founded Earth’s Best Baby Foods. The brothers conceived the idea of an ice cream that was both nutritional and delicious from their mother’s craving…
From The Editor's Desk: Why Does My Company Care About My Health?
I am the person most responsible for my health. No question about that. But should my company also take an interest in my health? In crass financial terms, the answer is yes. One reason is obvious: health insurance premiums. At…