Mission

Waimānalo Health Center is rooted in Native Hawaiian values and devoted to improving the health and wellness of all people, regardless of ability to pay, by providing comprehensive primary and preventive health care services of the highest quality.

 

WHC is a non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable 501(c)3 organization and receives Health and Human Services (HHS) funding and has Federal Public Health Service (PHS) deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals.

Vision

Waimānalo Health Center is dedicated to the continuous advancement in quality healthcare while assuring universal access for all. We believe that our values of Aloha, Mālama I Ka Pono, Mālama I Ka ʻOhana, and Mālama I Ka ʻĀina, enable our patient-centered healthcare home services to deeply focus on the shared role of healing oneself, ʻohana, community, and ʻāina over generations.

Core Values and Guiding Principles

Our values at Waimānalo Health Center promote Hawaiian-centered diversity, equity, and inclusion by welcoming all members of the Koʻolaupoko community to access our holistic services ranging from traditional Hawaiian healing practices to Western medicine. 

Aloha: We listen to people with our full attention, seeking to know them and understand their health care and wellness needs and aspirations for themselves, their family and community.  We will respond, to the best of our abilities, as caring, compassionate, engaged, and professional partners in healthcare.

Mālama I Ka Pono: We know that quality healthcare starts with people’s trust in our services and the excellence of our care for them and the resources entrusted to us to meet their needs.  We are committed to maintaining their trust by treating people with respect and confidentiality, and by being open about our organizational practices and results, seeking to continuously improve our work.

Mālama I Ka ʻOhana: We believe that wellness embraces the whole family, and we welcome their participation in the healthcare of their loved ones.  Our belief extends from the Ahupuaʻa of Waimānalo throughout Koʻolaupoko where we build the foundation for good health and wellness for everyone, and we seek collaborative partners who share our values and vision.

Mālama I Ka ʻĀina: We understand the importance of one’s sense of place and the holistic nature of health and wellbeing. Through integrative services we support the balance of body, mind, and spirit, while respecting one’s cultural connectedness to the ‘āina of Hawai'i. Ka Mauli O Ka ‘Āina A He Mauli Kānaka: The Life of the Land is the Life of the People.

History

WHC was conceptualized by a group of women who led a health service committee in 1988 in Waimānalo. The group advocated for continued health services in Waimānalo after a State Department of Health demonstration project was to be closed after 23 years of service. Founders Patricia Heu, Madi Silverman, Eve Anderson, Kawahine Kamakea-Ohelo and Mabel Ann Spencer represented the community to advocate for a local health center in Waimānalo. After incorporation in 1989, facility construction and the hiring of professional staff, Waimānalo Health Center saw its first patient in January 1992 and became a federally qualified health center in 1994. Since then, WHC has continued advocating for community health and expanded services to meet the needs of its patients.