It Will Take A Village

• As we enter the Season of Lono,

we reflect on the events that happened this past calendar year, and it has been a very challenging year for us and the whole world. 

The August fires of Lahaina and Kula continue to warrant our Kōkua. 

The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East warrant our petitions for world peace. 

For all those affected, including our children, family members, and emergency responders, the holidays can evoke old memories and conflicting emotions. This time of year can amplify the trauma and feelings of sadness, grief, loss, isolations, and hopelessness. 

As we learned from our mental health experts in our most recent Water Authority, Social Services, and Parks committee meeting on December 11th, it is important that we allow space for them to experience these feelings with love, patience and understanding. To help with the healing process we must create a supportive environment and encourage the use of professional mental health services. 

It is important that we summon the courage within ourselves to seek help. Traumatic experiences affect the ability to cope with life, but with proper mental health services they can be healed and prevent generational trauma from plaguing our families and community. 

It is especially important to care for our children to assist them with the healing they need so that the trauma from the fire do not hamper their futures and flow into future generations causing long lasting societal dysfunction. 

It is critical that we as family and community members acknowledge and promote an environment where needs can be addressed so that no one feels alone in their struggles. Government policymakers must also ensure that the funding support and programs are in place. 

This need for a supportive pro active environment also includes the need to address the mental health of our emergency responders. These providers deliver life saving care to our people and as a result take on the trauma themselves. It is important that we increase funding to support their care and create a supportive workplace environment that encourages not penalizes the use of services so they can heal. 

One resource for immediate acute needs is the Hawaiicares phone line which can be accessed by dialing 988 or (808) 832-3100. This a free service for help for those is crisis, and those with mental health needs, and those suffering with substance abuse issues. Their staff members are able send out mobile crisis workers to assist people in need. 

Other Department of Health services include certified community behavior health clinics. The Lahaina clinic is located below the civic center and can be reached at (808) 495-5113. The Wailuku clinic phone number is (808) 984-2150. 

Community resources can be found through the Kako’o Center funded by the Council for Native Advancement. Services are open to all and provided with a collaborative and cultural approach and can be accessed at their Maui Relief and Aid Services Center located at Maui Mall: 153 E Kamehameha Avenue, Suite 101 in Kahului or by calling (808) 596-8155. 

When possible, using health insurance, including Kaiser, HMSA and Quest to access social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists is another useful way to get help. 

From a government perspective, we need to work hard to make sure Maui receives additional mental health services funding during this legislative session. It is critical that Maui Memorial expand their adult behavioral health unit beyond 11 beds and that child and adolescent services be returned to the hospital. Now all children and adolescents at risk for harming themselves are transferred to Oahu, making their care precarious by placing them away from their families and home. 

We also need to support the training of new professionals, work on ways to increase the pay and loan forgiveness programs to attract skilled mental health providers, allow funding to be for new and existing mental health services, explore policies to support private mental health to practices, and create a supportive environment where people feel empowered to seek care and programs are available to provide that care. 

Our community is still healing. Being proactive in our support and love for one another helps us and those around us to make things better. 

1. Acquire water systems and leases to be managed by the water authorities, including East Maui water licenses. 

2. Notwithstanding section 9-18(1), sign intergovernmental agreements and other legal instruments directly related to the acquisition or management of water collection or delivery systems subject to approval by corporation counsel as to form and legality and certification by the director of finance as to the availability of funds. 

3. Oversee state water lease agreements or other operating agreements in the region. 

4. Negotiate purchase agreements and, if needed, recommend eminent domain proceedings directly related to the acquisition of land, easements, or interests in land related to water collection or delivery systems. 

5. Seek funding for water authority operation, maintenance, and capital improvements. 

6. Manage the distribution of water under the control of the water authorities, including providing water to the department of water supply. 

7. Develop and implement a long-term capital improvement and annual maintenance plan for the regional water collection and delivery systems. 

8. Develop and implement a watershed management plan for each watershed providing water to a regional water system. 

9. Prepare an annual operating and capital budget for regional community board review and approval. 

10. Submit to the mayor water authority requests for annual appropriations for operations and capital improvements. 

11. Submit an annual report to the mayor and the council providing a general assessment of each water collection and delivery system under the control of the water authorities; a proposed operation, 

maintenance, and capital improvement plan for each system; an overview of state, federal, or other funding available for each system’s operation, maintenance, and capital improvements; a business model, including power generation options; an overview of state license status; and specific public trust and nonpublic trust water usage amounts for each water system including required uses based upon state regulations and judicial requirements. 

12. Prepare a public annual report, including operation, maintenance, and long-term capital improvement plans and budgets for each system, summary and status of funding sources applied for or received, regional 42 community board comments and recommendations, public testimony from community meetings, and other relevant information. 

13. Prepare an annual operating and capital budget for regional community board review and approval. 

14. Provide administrative support to the regional community board. 

15. Have such other powers and duties as may be provided by law. 

16. The East Maui director will oversee water lease agreements and purchase agreements, which may include the Nāhiku, Ke‘anae, Honomanū, and Huelo license areas and other water systems in the East Maui region.