In a fitting tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, over a hundred Kaiser Permanente healthcare professionals along with their families dedicated their efforts to ecological preservation and cultural restoration within the unique ecosystems of Hawai‘i's Big Island. At two different sites, one in North Kona and another in Hilo, these volunteers from Kaiser's Hawai‘i medical group rolled up their sleeves to get their hands dirty, literally planting the seeds for a sustainable future.
The group in Hilo, as reported by Big Island Now, returned for the eighth consecutive year to the Haleolono fishpond at Kamokuna, where they tackled invasive plants and mended the historic fishpond walls. Luka Kanaka‘ole, Communications Officer for the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation, said, "This work is about more than restoring a physical place – it’s about honoring the history, culture, and relationships connected to this land." Meanwhile, in North Kona, another set of volunteers collaborated with the Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests and the Department of Land and Natural Resources to nurture the rare dryland forest ecosystem of Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Forest Reserve.
On Kaua‘i, the volunteers' efforts were no less significant, albeit focused on maintaining agriculture and traditional practices. Kaiser Permanente's medical staff from the Līhu‘e Clinic forged a bond with the soil and streams at the lo‘i kalo, or taro patches, as they joined hands with the Waipā Foundation. In a bid for environmental stewardship, these volunteers dedicated their day to removing invasive vegetation, thereby supporting the Waipā Foundation’s mission of education and land restoration. As Kauai Now News described, the work at Waipā Stream included clearing invasive plants and roots from lo‘i kalo and shampooing, weeds along the stream's banks, contributing towards the upkeep of traditional ahupua‘a land-dividing practices.
These coordinated efforts across the Hawaiian islands signify a bridging of gaps, a melding of health care with environmental conscience – a notion supported by Kaiser's own health care practitioners. "As health care providers, our responsibility extends well beyond the clinic," stated Matthew Murray, DO, a family medicine specialist for Kaiser Permanente, highlighting the decade-spanning commitment to the Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a reserve. Since 2010, the Hawai‘i Permanente Medical Group has hosted annual events promoting community involvement and teamwork to benefit both people and the environment, as noted by Big Island Now.
