Waianae health care officials are launching a “comprehensive public health response” focused on addressing the deteriorating mental health of a community plagued by the high cost of living and deadly gun violence.
The Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center administrators held a news conference Wednesday to “address the public health impacts of recent gun violence” including the mass casualty event on August 31 when six people were shot, four fatally, after a long-running dispute between neighbors ended in gunfire.
On Aug. 16, in response to three shootings in nine days that left two men dead and at least five people wounded, county, state and federal lawmakers to flood the Waianae coast community with more police and law enforcement resources while developing legislation and policies to stop the violence.
Officials emphasized the “immediate need for strengthened partnerships from government and community leaders” to help address the rising violence, according to a news release.
Alicia Higa, chief health equity officer for the center and executive director of Elepaio Social Services, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a interview that the Waianae coast community has been asked for too long to be resilient without the resources from government that it needs to thrive.
Higa said the West Side economy has not recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, and that Hawaii’s high cost of living coupled with inflation and a lack of safe spaces for youth to grow while their parents are at work are contributing to gun and domestic violence.
“At this point my heart is so broken at seeing where our community is right now. I don’t recognize it,” said Higa, who was born and raised in Makaha. “As a result of our community having to work multiple jobs … our focus has come off of our keiki and kupuna, our most vulnerable populations.”
Negative “stereotypes about the community” are being perpetuated through media and social media platforms, further “eroding the morale and pride of residents,” according to center officials.
Higa said the community is so fearful of the violent climate that several youth and community events have been canceled.
“This is a true public health crisis … there is an overall sense … of loss of hope, there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. The disconnect (between community needs and the culture of the coast) has gotten deeper and deeper,” said Higa. “With so much adversity thrown our way and not enough resources there is a breaking point and that’s where we are now with all this violence.”
Center officials highlighted “five key areas that require urgent government support,” including trauma and resilience counseling, expanded mental health services, and critical safety and security enhancements across WCCHC campuses.
