Planned Parenthood said Monday it will open a new location in Honolulu.
The more than 29,000-square-foot health center is set to open in June 2018 and will be at 839 S. Beretania St. The current Honolulu location, at 1350 King St., will remain open during the transition.
At the new building, Planned Parenthood will offer educational and outreach programs including middle and high school responsible sex education courses and parent-child communication programs. Planned Parenthood will continue to offer reproductive health care services, including affordable access to birth control, health exams, breast and cervical cancer screenings, emergency contraception, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and abortion services.
Hawaii patients can use online health services to schedule appointments, or talk to a Planned Parenthood provider online and face to face through a secure video consultation system on the Planned Parenthood Care app. Hawaii patients can also receive birth control or an STD test kit and treatment in the mail.
“In this political climate, we are incredibly grateful for the support of our patients, supporters, donors and elected officials in Hawaii,” said Christine Charbonneau, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands.
$7.5M settlement approved in Wal-Mart case
BOSTON >> A $7.5 million class action settlement between Wal-Mart and a former employee who challenged the retail chain’s lack of health insurance benefits for her same-sex spouse was approved by a federal judge Monday.
The settlement will pay for claims by current and former Wal-Mart associates in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that they were unable to obtain health insurance for their same-sex spouses from 2011 to 2013. About 380 claims have been submitted.
U.S. District Judge William Young approved the settlement after a brief hearing in federal court in Boston.
The lawsuit was filed in 2015 by Jacqueline Cote, a Wal-Mart associate from Massachusetts who said the company denied medical insurance for her wife. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. began offering benefits for same-sex spouses in 2014.
ON THE MOVE
PBS Hawaii has hired Mariko Miho as the new vice president of advancement. She is responsible for building a blended-gifts program as well as coordinating a multimedia giving campaign for the statewide public television station. Miho previously served in the University of Hawaii system for the past 20 years, including working as a senior-level development officer for the UH Foundation.
The Punahou Alumni Association has named Nainoa Thompson the “O” in Life recipient for 2017, which is considered PAA’s most prestigious award. Thompson is a 1972 alumnus of Punahou School and executive director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. The award has been presented annually since 1954 and honors an individual who exemplifies the ideals of service to Punahou as well as the community.
