On Friday, March 11, at 5 p.m., state and county legislators will attend a presentation to honor Maui Health System for their work as a major hub for vaccination distribution during the pandemic. The organization administered 83,000 doses of the vaccine at its clinics.

“Over 70% of eligible Maui residents have been vaccinated at Maui Memorial Medical Center, including over 30,000 healthcare workers, kūpuna, and individuals with underlying conditions in the first 100 days of vaccine availability. This was an exceptional achievement, and it made our community safer and better able to deal with COVID-19,” said Senator Jarrett Keohokalole (District 24 – Kane‘ohe, MCBH, Kailua, He‘eia, ‘Ahuimanu) Chair of the Senate Committee on Health.

While on Maui, Senator Keohokalole and health committee members will also visit facilities that provide treatment for those suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse.

On Saturday, March 12, the Maui Branch Chief for the Department of Health Adult Mental Health Division, John A. Oliver, will host a visit at 8:30 a.m. at the Malama Family Recovery Center in Kahului. The center provides caring, holistic substance use disorder treatment to women and children so that families can live safe, independent, and healthy lives. It is the only women-specific substance use disorder treatment center in the state.

At 10 a.m., members will visit Aloha House in Makawao with CEO Jud Cunningham. The facility is part of the Maui Behavioral Health Resources group. A full range of mental health and social services staff help people deal with issues related to family, work, relationships, depression, anxiety, and other concerns. The Aloha House mission has expanded to help in the prevention and treatment of individual substance abuse and other disorders.