Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services and Bank of Hawaii Partner to Open Vaccination Site

Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services (KKV) and Bank of Hawaii have partnered to bring COVID-19 vaccinations directly to KKV's patients.

Bank of Hawaii's closed Kalihi Branch offers a spacious, convenient location for KKV to administer the vaccine to the vulnerable community it serves, which is among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii. Many in the community are frontline workers and live in crowded households that do not afford them the luxury of isolating safely when a household member is infected with COVID-19. The prevalence of pre-existing conditions-such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease-put community members at higher risk of having severe complications due to COVID-19.

Staff and volunteers from the community health center administer the vaccines by appointment only at the bank's former Kalihi Branch, which closed in February 2020. KKV staff and volunteers are fluent in 26 Asian and Pacific Islander languages and dialects. Since starting the vaccination clinic on March 27, KKV has delivered an average of 120 COVID-19 vaccinations each Saturday at the bank's vaccination site.

Using the Bank of Hawaii facility to administer vaccinations enables the health center to continue operating its Na Koa Clinic to test for and treat COVID-19 patients, without shutting it down to operate the space as a vaccination clinic. KKV is also providing vaccinations to patients at its Gulick Elder Care Center on Wednesdays and Fridays.

'We are fortunate to help our neighbors in Kalihi by providing them with a safe space to receive the COVID-19 vaccination in their own neighborhood,' said Peter Ho, Bank of Hawaii Chairman, President and CEO. 'Having access to the vaccine is an integral part of helping individuals in our community protect themselves and one another from COVID-19, and we are committed to being part of the solution to meet the needs of our community.'

'With the generous support of Bank of Hawaii, KKV has been able to provide care and assistance to families directly affected by the coronavirus in Kalihi,' said David Derauf, Executive Director of KKV.

Bank of Hawaii Foundation also provided a $4,000 grant to cover the cost of lunch for a team of between 32 and 36 people working at the vaccination clinics, including KKV staff and members of the Hawaii Army National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department. COVID-19 vaccinations at Bank of Hawaii's Kalihi facility are expected to continue every Saturday through the end of May, or longer as needed to vaccinate the KKV community.

Bank of Hawaii's support to the nonprofit federally qualified health center began in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. Through a $3 million donation to the Hawai'i Resilience Fund at the Hawai'i Community Foundation in April 2019, Bank of Hawaii Foundation donated $175,000 to KKV to provide health services to Kalihi area residents.