MEDIA RELEASE

North Hawai’i Community Hospital (NHCH) announces the establishment and opening of a new Native Hawaiian Health Clinic. The Native Hawaiian Health Clinic’s target population includes Native Hawaiians age 13 and older, non‐Hawaiians who are married to a Native Hawaiian or is a life partner of a Native Hawaiian, non‐Hawaiians who are widowed and his/her spouse was a Native Hawaiian, and non‐ Hawaiians who are divorced or separated from a Native Hawaiian and have Native Hawaiian children.

NHCH’s new Native Hawaiian Health Clinic will begin seeing patients September 1st, 2011. For more information or to make an appointment, please call 808‐881‐4843. “The Native Hawaiian Health Clinic will provide culturally appropriate, high‐quality medical and behavioral health services,” said Medical Director Coralie Texeira, M.D. Texeira notes the mission of the Native Hawaiian Health Clinic is in harmony with the stated mission of North Hawai’i Community Hospital “to improve the health status of North Hawai’i by improving access to care and providing appropriate high‐quality services at a reasonable cost.”

Medical Director Coralie Texeira, M.D. and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Claren Ku’ulei Kealoha‐Beaudet are assessing patients to determine the full scope of need among Native Hawaiians in North Hawai’i. Known health challenges for Native Hawaiians include well‐documented higher rates of Type 2 Diabetes, higher rates of hypertension or high‐blood pressure, and higher rates of attempted suicide among Native Hawaiian adolescents, as well as other, less patently visible health and behavioral care and treatment challenges.

“I support NHCH’s Native Hawaiian Health Clinic and their efforts to provide first rate healthcare that embraces Native Hawaiian healing principles,” said County of Hawai’i Mayor Billy Kenoi. “I also welcome the opportunity to use data collected by NHCH’s Native Hawaiian Clinic to improve health care policies in the future to support our Hawai’i Island Native Hawaiian ‘ohana.”

Before joining NHCH, as Medical Director of the Native Hawaiian Health Clinic, Texeira received her Doctorate of Medicine from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai’i‐Manoa in 2004. Born in Honolulu, Texeira is a 1988 graduate of Kamehameha Schools, received her Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian Language from University of Hawai’i‐Manoa in 1992 and completed her medical internship at the University of Hawai’i Family medicine Residency Program. Texeira has worked with the Mililani Specialty Clinic William F. McKenzie M.D. as a General Practitioner in Mililani, O’ahu and as Medical Director of Ke Ola Mamo Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems in O’ahu, prior to joining NHCH.

Dr. Claren Ku’ulei Kealoha‐Beaudet also joins NHCH’s new Native Hawaiian Health Clinic, as Director of Behavior Health. Dr. Kealoha‐Beaudet was born and raised in Honoka’a on the Hamakua Coast of Hawai’i Island and is a 1995 Baccalaureate graduate of the University of Hawai’i‐Hilo. She received her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from The American School of Professional Psychology in 2001 and completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University, Honolulu. Prior to joining NHCH’s Native Hawaiian Health Clinic in 2011, Dr. Kealoha‐Beaudet was a Clinical Psychologist for the West Hawai’i Community Health Center and E Ho’ona’auao Psychological Services.

The Native Hawaiian Health Clinic is currently located in the Lucy Henriques Building, Suite 110 at 67‐ 1123 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743. Clinic hours include: Monday and Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday and Thursday 10:00am to 6:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday 8:00am to 12:30 pm, closed Sundays and every 4th Wednesday of the month.