Health Department to conduct Maui needs survey next week

The Hawaii Department of Health today announced it will conduct a needs assessment survey for Maui residents affected by the wildfires.

This survey will assess ongoing priorities identified by the community, along with barriers to accessing health care and other essential services.

“It’s critical that efforts by the Department of Health and our partners are driven by needs identified by Maui communities, and this assessment will help us to better understand existing gaps and barriers to care,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble in a news release. “The information collected will be used to direct state and federal resources to meet the immediate and medium-term needs of Maui residents as well as to link participating households to any additional services they might need and have not been able to access. We appreciate the community’s participation in this assessment.”

From Monday to Wednesday, DOH said it will call a random selection of Maui residents impacted by the wildfires for the survey.

The survey will involve asking questions over the phone, should take less than 10 minutes to complete, and is entirely voluntary, DOH said.

Selected households will be asked about their resource needs, access to medical and behavioral health support services, current physical health and well-being, and any barriers they have experienced in applying for and receiving the services they need.

All survey responses will be confidential, DOH said, and no personally identifiable information will be collected.

The survey can be done in Ilocano, Tagalog, Marshallese, Spanish and Hawaiian languages, with the assistance of interpreters.

DOH said its intention with the survey is to collect data that is representative of the impacted population in a minimally intrusive manner. It will provide important information to direct the continued work of DOH and other emergency response partners.

DOH offers more information on resources at health.hawaii.gov/mauiwildfires.