Half a year has elapsed since the merciless wildfires that tore through Lahaina, and recovery has been slow. A nation glued to Sunday’s coverage of the Super Bowl erupted in applause for the smiling coaches and football players of Lahainaluna High School honored at the opening coin toss, but the struggle the town is enduring goes far deeper.

A study sponsored by the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund and conducted by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) outlines just how deep the wounds are — and how much help and outreach are needed, now.

The researchers last week released the initial findings of the “Maui Wildfire Exposure Cohort Study” from 224 adult participants who signed up in the first two weeks of the study. They also hope to enlarge the sample size to 1,000, including children and first responders. A final recruitment is Saturday at Kula Lodge (information: MauiWES.info).

Some of the information so far is startling enough. More than half, 55%, are showing signs of depression, with 3 out 4 suffering from respiratory problems. These outcomes were somewhat anticipated — but registered higher than expected, according to the report.

Just as concerning was the lack of support guidance the study participants reported. About 13% said they had no health insurance, up from 1.7% in that category before the fire. Nearly one-quarter said they lacked reliable access to medical care.

Lawmakers anticipated that the crisis required solutions on multiple fronts. The state House of Representatives in the months leading to the current session convened six bipartisan working groups to identify ways to better protect the community from such a disaster in the future and to address concerns.

A slate of their bills includes House Bill 1836, which has passed its first joint committees following a hearing Thursday. It enables pharmacists, during a declared state of emergency, to renew key prescriptions if the practitioner is unavailable or if the pharmacist judges that failure to refill “may interrupt the patient’s ongoing care and have a significant adverse effect on the patient’s well-being.”

This responds to a very specific problem, leaving far more work to do to encompass the full scope of the mental and physical health needs now going unmet.

Among the House working groups, the one grappling with the schools issues studied environmental health hazards at sites and noted the addition of mental health services to the school community. The need for a broad-based improvement in mental-health services for students has been evident even before the pandemic, but certainly since then.

In a separate initiative, a group of public school officials last week sought the state Board of Education’s support for its request to lawmakers to fund 20 full-time educational psychologist positions. Additionally, they advocate for appropriations for various mental health programs, once federal funds now underwriting them expire Sept. 30.

However, while officials emphasize Lahaina fire survivors as beneficiaries of this effort, it does not target them exclusively. There is still a compelling need for focused and comprehensive attention to this Maui population in particular.

The UHERO preliminary report underscores the worrying conditions Lahaina survivors are experiencing, from hypertension to suicidal thoughts. These are people who have been cut off from support systems they’ve known and need immediate outreach, from government and social service groups, to build new bridges to better health for them.

Before the legislative session ends, lawmakers must ensure this is well underway.