Current Projects

Kokua Mau awarded 2 grants in
January 2009

Climbing Higher: Organizational Capacity Building Grant

The Hawai‘i Community Foundation has awarded Kokua Mau an Organizational Capacity Building grant. The Climbing Higher grant will allow Kokua Mau to expand and strengthen the scope of our work and help us to achieve our mission that all people in Hawai‘i will receive good end-of-life care. 
 

The grant has three parts:

  1. Build Strategic Relationships. Through a survey of stakeholder needs and interests, Kokua Mau will better understand our constituents. This will allow Kokua Mau to provide improved programs and services and increase its membership base.
  2. Resource Development. In order to better understand and cater to the educational needs of our constituents, Kokua Mau will research and develop relevant resources. This might provide new revenue for Kokua Mau.
  3. Evaluation and Impact. We need to develop methods to measure the clinical and non-clinical impact of our work. 
 
Because Kokua Mau is an umbrella organization for organizations and individuals invested in hospice, the impact of these grants will be felt throughout the state. The ultimate effect will be increased healthcare capacity throughout the community, improved care for people living with serious illness and their loved ones, more effective options to better utilize scarce resources and a true continuum of care from birth through death in Hawai‘i. 
 
 

Improving Professional Education, Sustaining Support (IMPRESS) and Care Project for work in Long Term Care Facilities

 
The Hawai‘i Chamber of Commerce has awarded Kokua Mau a grant to improve palliative care capacity in long term care facilities through tailored educational trainings and developing supportive networks. The IMPRESS and Care Project addresses an important gap in the current healthcare system: a shortage of beds in long term care facilities. According to the Long Term Care Association, the problem could be addressed by building the capacity of staff to provide quality palliative care to residents: The goals of the project are to prevent hospital readmissions, decrease hospital stays, and improve quality treatment and care of people living with serious or chronic illnesses.
 
Kokua Mau will conduct a needs assessment of O‘ahu LTC facilities, develop and deliver tailored courses and materials and evaluate the program for replicability to other venues.  
 
If you would like to help with these efforts, please contact jkoijane@kokuamau.org