Neil Abercrombie: “I have in my hand the Asian American and Pacific Islander Journal of Health here from the autumn issue in 1993. It…”

“I have in my hand the Asian American and Pacific Islander Journal of Health here from the autumn issue in 1993. It addresses the health status of Kanaka Maoli, the indigenous Hawaiians. It is written by my good friend Dr. Richard Kekuni Blaisdell. In the process of reviewing this, you will find that the purpose is to summarize the current health status of the Kanaka Maoli, the indigenous Hawaiian people, with historical background, the underlying factors responsible for the indigenous Hawaiian health plight and recommendations. The principal findings are that the indigenous Hawaiians continue to have the worst health and socioeconomic indicators of the various ethnic groups who call their home Hawaii: cardiovascular disorders, cancer, diabetes, obstructive lung diseases, maternal and infant ill health, alcohol problems, obesity, major life-style risk factors, societal factors such as depopulation, foreign transmigration, colonial exploitation, cultural conflict and racism. Since 1990, as a result of our native Hawaiian health programs funded here in the Congress and under our auspices, native Hawaiian communities have established five island-wide native Hawaiian health care systems to improve availability, accessibility, and acceptability of health services to all of the indigenous Hawaiian people, to provide them with resources.”