📍Honolulu, Hawai’i
Building Capacity for Culturally Responsive Services in Hawai’i
Challenge:
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities have a need for behavioral healthcare that is informed by local customs, beliefs, and values.
Solution:
The Hawai’i Behavioral Health Institute works to offer community-based experiential training and foster an integrated health approach for behavioral health care, harm reduction, substance use disorder treatment, and recovery services. Their approach included the following:
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander-centered approaches: Integrated community-centered healing practices into behavioral health services.
- Community-based workforce development: Trained local providers to deliver compassionate mental health and substance use treatment.
- Partnerships with criminal justice & health systems: Strengthened collaboration between correctional facilities, reentry programs, and behavioral health organizations to assist formerly incarcerated people.
Impact:
✅ Expanded access to behavioral health services that are informed by local customs, beliefs, and values.
✅ Increased care capacity among healthcare providers and reentry professionals.
✅ Strengthened collaboration between health and justice systems to improve long-term reintegration outcomes.
✅ Improved behavioral health access and sustainable support services.