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Maui Behavioral Health Resources, one of the largest mental health providers on the Valley Isle, is mobilizing nearly 200 employees to help Lahaina residents recover from the trauma of the wildfire that burned the historic town to the ground.
“Maui really is our home,” said Nicole Hokoana, chief executive officer of the nonprofit, which has served youth to older adults since the 1970s. “And taking care of Maui right now, not just in the immediacy but in the long term, is really important to me as a CEO.”
“Whether we have homes that have burned down, whether we are taking in family members or people’s pets, it’s impossible to be on Maui at this time and not feel totally impacted by this disaster,” she said. Four of her staffers lost their homes to the fire.
The organization’s youth counselors who normally would work in the schools, which are still closed, have been assisting at the evacuation shelters or volunteering with the American Red Cross in whatever capacity is needed. MBHR also operates the crisis mobile outreach program Hawai‘i Cares 988 on Maui, she said.
“It will be absolutely critical to grow our staff” and train more counselors to deal with the emotional wounds of fire victims over the next several years, she said. The agency hasn’t been receiving many calls from Lahaina residents yet, but people are still dealing with more immediate matters such as obtaining food, shelter and medical care.
Hokoana is considering the possibility of opening an office closer to Lahaina in West Maui, which is a 45- to 60-minute drive from the three nonprofit agencies under MBHR in Central Maui, including Maui Youth & Family Services, the Aloha House and Malama Family Recovery Center.
For more information, go to mbhr.org or call Maui Behavioral Health Resources at 808-579-8414, ext. 8105.
The Hawaii Medical Service Association’s partner, Carelon Behavioral Health, is offering free counseling services 24/7 at 1-800-580-6934 to anyone, whether or not they are HMSA members.
Dr. Stefanie Park, HMSA vice president and chief medical officer, who is leading response and recovery efforts on Maui, said in an email, “One of the top requests we received from our health care partners was that there was a dire need for more behavioral health resources as those offering support on the ground may be at capacity due to the sheer volume of devastation.”
Besides Carelon, other partners include Maui Medical Group, Hale Makua Health Services, Hawaii Independent Physicians Association and CVS. HMSA is working with CVS to make sure prescription refills are available and to set up delivery of medications to shelters.
“Since the hotline just came online, we aren’t seeing a ton of volume just yet,” Park said. “We understand that people are still in shock and in survival mode. They are trying to account for their families and livelihoods. This is normal and in line with what Carelon has seen in other large-scale emergencies. Once the reality of this disaster sinks in and people need someone to lean on, we’ll be here for them.”
For more information, visit hmsa.com and click on “free counseling services.”
Other organizations offering mental health services include:
>> Kaiser Permanente
Behavioral health care is available to Kaiser members without a referral at these numbers:
Maui and neighbor islands: 1-888-945-7600, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oahu: 808-432-7600.
For after-hours care, call the Crisis Line of Hawaii. Maui and neighbor islands: 1-800-753-6879; Oahu: 808-832-3100. For 24/7 advice, call 1-833-833-3333 (TTY 711).
>> National Alliance on Mental Health
Free support group meetings via Zoom will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, with additional Saturday meetings to be scheduled, depending on community demand. Users should register by emailing Anisa Wiseman, program director of the Hawaii branch of NAMI, at anisa@namihawaii.org. She also can keep registrants informed about future Zoom meetings.
“We need to create safe spaces to heal and if someone has been affected by the fires but they don’t feel like a support group is for them, we still need them to show up for others,” said Wiseman. “Support groups are supposed to be for people at all levels of mental wellness so healing can happen together.”
Visit namihawaii.org or call 808-591-1297.
>> Hawai‘i UTelehealth
With support from the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine and the Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center, Hawai‘i UTelehealth offers free confidential crisis counseling. The telehealth services are open to all, with a focus on Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and rural communities, as well as older adults. Call 808-375-2745, email utele@hawaii.edu or visit hawaiiutelehealth.org. Callers will be directed to the website to set up an account and be connected with a provider within a week.
>> Maui Community Mental Health Center
Operated by the state Department of Health, the center offers crisis mental health services at 808-984-2150 or mauiwellness@doh.hawaii.gov.
In-person services are available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at 121 Mahalani St. in Wailuku. Due to the emergency, the center also will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
>> Lahaina Comprehensive Health Center
The state Department of Health’s West Maui Coordinated Care Clinic provides general wound care and first aid, prescription refills and mental health services.
Participating community partners include Malama I Ke Ola, Hui No Ke Ola Pono, Mauliola Pharmacy, American Medical Response, and Minit Medical. Mobile services are also available.
The Lahaina clinic, which is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., is located on Akoakoa Place, below the Lahaina Civic Center. No appointment is necessary for clinic services and insurance is not required. Call 808-984-8201 or 808-984-8260.
>> Hawai‘i Cares 988
Supported by the state Department of Health and community-based mental health and substance abuse service providers statewide, local crisis counselors are available 24/7 by calling or texting 988; those without an 808 area code should call 808-832-3100 or 1-800-753-6879. For more information, visit hicares.hawaii.gov/resources/hawaii-wildfire.
>> Maui Health
Maui Memorial Medical Center provides an 11-bed acute care unit for patients who might harm themselves or others. It also cares for those who are gravely disabled and unable to provide their own basic care due to mental illness.
The center’s Behavioral Health Partial Hospitalization Program can care for up to eight outpatients recovering from a recent crisis. Care is provided from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 808-244-9056 or visit mauihealth.org/services/behavioral-health.
>> Mental Health America
Contact the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746. To connect to an agent in American Sign Language, call 1-800-985-5990 from your videophone 24/7.
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