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Community Briefs

LOCAL VETERANS LINE UP TO SPEAK WITH VA REPS FROM HAWAII

 

Scores of local veterans—__most of them accompanied by their spouses— used this past week to get more information on their benefits, including VA loans, vocational rehabilitation, and claims, from representatives of the VA office in Hawaii who arrived in the territory last Monday.

 

Informative sessions about new programs and other topics of interest were held inside the VA Center at the Tradewinds Hotel in Ottoville.

 

Those wanting a one-on-one conversation with the VA reps have been told to set an appointment so they can discuss their concerns in detail.

 

OPAD HOSTS GRANT WRITING TRAINING

 

The Office of Protection and Advocacy for the Disabled (OPAD) hosted a two-day grant writing training session Thursday and Friday at the Tradewinds Hotel. Those who attended the training included representatives from OPAD’s usual partners — the Dept. of Human and Social Services (DHSS) and the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEED).

 

Dr. Kelly Roberts, a grant trainer from the University of Hawaii, conducted the training.

 

The program touched on different subject areas, including introduction to grant writing, how to find grant applications, how to locate foundations that have grants available for American Samoa, and how to understand an RFP (Request for Proposal).

 

HEALTHCARE COALITION MEETS TO DISCUSS MASS FATALITY PLAN

 

The Emergency Preparedness Division of the Dept. of Health hosted a three-day training program — which started Wednesday and ended yesterday — for the Healthcare Coalition to discuss and finalize the Territorial Mass Fatality Management Plan, which will be incorporated into the territory’s Emergency Operations Plan.

 

The Healthcare Coalition includes representatives from the LBJ Medical Center, the Health Department, the Dept. of Human and Social Services, Port Administration, Veterans Affairs, and other organizations including the Red Cross, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), a recently added group.

 

The Healthcare Coalition meets every three months and the goal of the current training is to determine the gaps in the healthcare system in terms of deaths during times of emergencies.  They will also initiate a plan of response as far as determining everyone’s roles and responsibilities.

 

A DOH official referred to the deadly earthquake and tsunami of Sept. 29, 2009 and said during that disaster, 34 local residents lost their lives and “we didn’t really know what to do or how to handle the situation because we weren’t prepared for it.”

 

The goal of the Territorial Mass Fatality Management Plan is to gather pertinent information on what needs to be done when there are fatalities during a disaster and to ensure that the proper personnel are educated on it.

 

AIDS AWARENESS DRAWS BIGGER CROWD THAN EXPECTED

 

Per instruction from Health Director Motusa Tuileama Nua, employees from the Dept. of Health, in collaboration with the Health Department in the Aloha State, conducted a three-day awareness session for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and AIDS.

 

The goal of the program is to raise awareness in the community and to find ways to encourage people to come in to get tested.

 

Organizers of the program were expecting only 4-5 people to be in attendance but altogether, a total of 33 DOH employees showed up.