Paradise hides some of the most complex challenges in healthcare access in the U.S.

In this episode, Donna Palakiko, a Native Hawaiian health strategist, community researcher, and Assistant Professor at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, talks about the unique healthcare challenges facing Hawaiʻi’s island communities and how culturally grounded, prevention-focused models are working to close those gaps. She explains how Hawaiʻi’s geography forces many residents, especially on rural and outer islands, to travel by air for trauma care, specialty services, and even routine preventive screenings. Donna also unpacks the Native Hawaiian Healthcare Improvement Act, highlighting how community-based systems and scholarship programs are building a Native Hawaiian primary care workforce rooted in service and leadership. She shares how integrating traditional practices like hula, lomi lomi, and ʻike kupuna with Western medicine is improving chronic disease outcomes while strengthening cultural identity and community trust.

Listen to learn how Hawaiʻi is reimagining healthcare through culture, prevention, and resilience.

Resources

• Connect with and follow Donna Palakiko on LinkedIn.

• Follow the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa on LinkedIn and discover their website!

• If you have questions about Tribal Health, please reach out to Valerie Flynn at +1 602-206-4847 or via her email.